Artemis Fowl: The Vampire Conspiration
by Borax
Summary: Artemis is kidnapped by the Volturi to be turned into a vampire. Now, not only does he have to save the People from the Volturi's greediness, but there's also the matter of a punitive expedition in Forks. A/H, Twilight canon couples.
1. Chapter 1: Kidnapping

**A.N.:** This is my first attempt at fan fiction. I tried to keep the story as canon as possible (though, as it takes place during Breaking Dawn, one can expect some changes). The story is already finished, but I will post once a week (every Sundays I think) so I can edit it properly.

**Summary: **The Volturi hear about Artemis Fowl's prodigious intelligence and decide to turn him into a vampire and make him join the Artemis must not only protect the People from the Volturi's greediness, but there's also the matter of punitive expedition concerning the Cullens. Post TTP and during Breaking Dawn. A/H, canon Twilight couples.

**Disclaimer:** I own neither the Artemis Fowl nor the Twilight series, and make no money out of this.

**Chapter one: Kidnapping**

Artemis was sitting in front of his computer, trying to figure out a complicated mathematic formula. It wouldn't take much longer, he knew.

Everything was silent in the house–everybody was sleeping. Well, who knew if Butler was really sleeping. But his twin brothers–who turned six a few weeks earlier–had long gone to bed. His parents never stayed up late these days. He looked at the clock: 1:34 AM. He knew he should probably get some sleep, but he badly wanted to finish his task.

He was trying to configure a program to locate his duplicated nemesis, Opal Koboi. The pixie had followed him back from his trip in the past and was now bent on freeing her present self from jail. The LEP, or Lower Elements Police, had tripled their security around their prisoner, but Artemis was uneasy. The pixie was clever–nearly as clever as him, and it wouldn't surprise him if she managed to outsmart the LEP.

He was in regular contact with his elfin friend from the LEP, Holly Short. He winced as he thought of the word–a rare physical reaction in him. Was he still friends with Holly? He had betrayed her, made her believe that she had infected his mother with the deadly Spelltropy so she would agree to take him back in time.

It had worked. He _had_ gone back with her. And during their trip, before he admitted his treachery to her, she had kissed him. Months later, he was still confused about that. True, they both had been hormone-ridden, him as a much older teenage boy, and she as a much younger female in the same age group, but he knew that it wasn't the only explanation as to why she had done that. Besides, it wasn't only because of the hormones that he had enjoyed it.

Now, Holly had forgiven him for his deception, but their friendship was not the same. The trust he had slowly gained had entirely evaporated. In addition, he missed being friends with her. Deep down, he wondered if he didn't miss kissing her, too.

Not many people knew about Artemis' adventures with the People. Butler, his bodyguard, Minerva Paradizo, a French genius child with whom he had crossed swords, and his mother. He had been forced to explain the whole thing to the latter after she had been possessed by Opal Koboi.

It hadn't been very pleasant to tell his mother about all his wrongdoings with the People. After all, who wanted to admit to their mother that they had abducted a fairy for ransom money? However, he had changed since then. At least, he hoped.

Yawning, Artemis decided that it was really time to stop. The formula would have to wait until tomorrow. He didn't think Opal would break into Howler's Peak by then anyway. The pixie usually did a _lot_ of planning. Looking up from the computer, he jumped. A shadow had seemed to pass in front of the window.

Frowning slightly, Artemis stood up from his chair and walked to the window. It hadn't seemed like an animal, or a fairy. Artemis would know–since he had been through a time spell, he had exchanged an eye with Holly Short. So now, with one blue and one hazel eye, he could see shielded fairies. Quite practical.

Shivering in advance, Artemis opened the window and let the cold night air in. Peering out, he searched with his enhanced vision for the shadow he had seen earlier. There was nothing at first, but then he spotted two human forms hiding under a tree.

"Intruders," he whispered, before closing the window and walking towards the alarm. He wasn't scared, just a little intrigued at how those two people had managed to get passed the Fowl security system. He would have to fix that tomorrow morning. Just as he hit the alarm, the window behind him shattered loudly.

Artemis didn't yell–it would have been childish–even though he was now quite scared. He still had time to berate himself mentally for alerting the intruders that he knew of their presence. It was below his standards. The alarm was ringing loudly through the whole house, waking up it's occupants, especially Butler. Butler would be here soon, all Artemis had to do was to slow down the intruders.

"Damn," he heard one say in a strangely musical voice. He looked up at the figure and gasped. It was cloaked in black it was _huge_, huge and menacing. The other figure was also cloaked, but it's hood was down. His face was exposed. A face more beautiful than everything Artemis had ever seen, more beautiful than any painting. In the middle of this angelic face, were two burgundy eyes, looking at him hungrily.

Artemis was clever. He had seen things that were considered impossible by the rest of humankind. Therefore, he wasn't prejudiced into thinking that supernatural didn't exist. It did. So when he saw those two figures standing in front of him, his unprejudiced and brilliant mind immediately thought: _not human_.

The second figure came swiftly towards him and took him in his arms, carrying him like a sack of potatoes. _Now would be the appropriate time to yell_, Artemis thought. Before he could get the appropriate amount of air in his lungs however, he was gagged by the other stranger. He tried to break free, but the creature's hold on him was incredibly strong. _Stronger than Butler,_ Artemis thought with a shiver.

Butler, where was Butler? Where was his faithful friend and bodyguard? He should be here by now, shouldn't he? Artemis' rational self knew it had only been a few seconds since the alarm had rung, and the first place Butler would check was Artemis' room, not the computer room. It was unreasonable to hope Butler would get here in time.

The creature carrying him ran to the broken window, and jumped through it as lightly as cats. Artemis' scared scream was contain by his gag. And then they were running, running faster than anything Artemis had ever seen, if he could trust the vision of the ground under him, passing at an incredible speed. Even when he had been transported by Holly over the sea, he hadn't been going this fast–if his calculations were exact, that is.

In no time, they were out of the property, where a black car with tinted windows was waiting for them. Hastily, he was thrust in the back seat, while the two creatures sat down in front. The car lurched forward at a speed that made Artemis reach for his seatbelt. _Faster than when Butler drives,_ he thought, comparing his friend once more to his two kidnappers. _Faster than Mulch Diggums_.

Calmly, he undid his gag. If his captors had wanted him to keep it on, they would have bound him. Before saying anything though, he observed the people in front of him. Their lips were moving rapidly, but it seemed as if no sound was coming out. However as they weren't looking at each other, they couldn't possibly be lip reading. There had to be some kind of sound coming out, only Artemis' ears couldn't hear it.

He then tried to read their lips, but he only managed to understand a few sentences–they were speaking too fast. And Italian. "He shouldn't have seen us," one said. "They were supposed to discover his disappearance in the morning," Artemis also understood. "The police will be on our tracks."

Artemis didn't understand much more. He continued observing his captors, nonetheless. The more he looked at them, the more he was convinced that they weren't human. What could they be, though? He had never seen, never heard of, and Holly had never told him of anything that looked like those creatures–and he had studied the LEP files extremely closely.

There were two solutions: either Foaly had been much cleverer than Artemis and had managed to keep something from him, or the People were unaware of the existence of these creatures. Artemis thought the second explanation more likely. He was cleverer than the centaur.

"_Scusi,_" he said in Italian, in a calm voice, though he didn't feel nearly as calm inside. "Would you mind telling me what you are and why you felt the need to kidnap me?"

The two males snapped their heads back at him.

"What?" the larger of the two asked, bewildered. "Why did you speak Italian?"

"Weren't you conversing in that language?" Artemis replied with a smirk. Looking confident was one of his specialities. No matter how scary these people were, or how scared he was. Artemis didn't often trust his instincts, he'd rather use his intellect; but now he knew, he felt that his kidnappers were dangerous. He had to be careful.

"You heard us?" asked the second man.

"No," Artemis decided it would be safer for him to tell the truth. He didn't want to think about what these people would do if they discovered he was lying to them. "However, I am quite proficient at lip-reading." The man–or male if you decided not to call non humans men–looked taken aback.

"How much did you understand?" he asked in a would-be calm voice.

"Will you answer my question if I answer yours?" Artemis retorted, hoping that impressing his captors was a good way to get them to talk.

"No," the man said. _Too bad_, Artemis thought. "But I expect you to answer my question anyway," the smaller male continued. He flashed his teeth in a predatory smile. Artemis shivered. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered Holly giving him a smile like this once, when he had held her prisoner. It hadn't been nearly as scary, even if Holly was a dangerous creature. How much more dangerous were these people?

"I didn't understand much," Artemis admitted. "Your lips were moving too fast. I heard that someone–I'm guessing it was me–shouldn't have seen you, that my capture wasn't supposed to be discovered until morning, and that the police will be on our tracks."

"That is still a lot," the big male, who was driving, said with a scowl.

"Aro said he was clever," the one next to him answered. "We should have expected it."

"Who is Aro?" Artemis asked, intrigued. There was at least another person in this scheme, probably another non human creature. "Also, since you won't tell me _what_ you are, would you mind telling me _who_ you are?" Again, the men looked surprised. The smallest turned towards Artemis.

"My name is Demetri. My friend here is Felix." He didn't volunteer any other information. "You should get some sleep." Artemis raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "We won't hurt you, you can sleep safely." Artemis didn't trust his word much, but on the other hand, even if he was conscious, those two were much stronger than him, so perhaps it didn't matter. Uneasily, he closed his eyelids. He had the feeling that he would never go to sleep, he was so tense. He was exhausted however, and it was only a matter of minutes before he was lost to the world around him.

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When Artemis woke up, he was in a bed, and the bed was _moving_. He sat up abruptly, only to feel sick. Looking around, he realized why. He was on a boat. And seasick. He needed air, fresh air. He made for the door desperately. Surprisingly, it wasn't locked.

He felt immediately better with the sea breeze. Looking around, he noticed that the boat was medium sized, and could obviously go far at sea–which wasn't a reassuring feat. Obviously this was the easiest way to get him out of the country unnoticed. They were out at sea, Artemis could barely make out the Irish coast in the horizon. The overcast weather wasn't helping either. He guessed they were sailing south. To Italy, then?

His two captors were at the end of the ship. Though they didn't speak to him, their eyes watched him suspiciously.

He was quite certain now that the Irish police would never find them. His kidnappers weren't human after all, and they were rapidly leaving territorial waters. How could he find a way to tell his friends he was in danger? How could he get help?

Artemis thought about the fairy communicator, concealed in a ring on his right finger. Maybe he could call Holly to get some help. The People were maybe awaiting his call anyway. It was morning, so the news of his disappearance would have spread, even in the Lower Elements. Foaly may have said once that he was no longer under surveillance, but Artemis highly doubted it. He would have to get back to his cabin to call.

He closed the door carefully behind him. He was hoping that with the noise of the motor and the sea, the two men would not be able to hear his conversation with the People if he ever had one. That worried him. From what he had gathered the evening before, these creatures had very sensitive hearing–they had heard him whisper from his window, and they could converse in voices lower than what was humanly audible. Well, he reasoned, if they heard him, they mustn't understand him–he would speak in Gnommish. After all, he was fluent.

Before he called, he explored his cabin. He had to admit it was comfortable. There was a comfortable-looking bed, a bathroom, a kitchenette, and … food. Artemis suddenly realized he was famished. Looking at his watch, he understood why: it was noon already. He decided to make himself some lunch. The resulting sandwich wasn't extremely practical to eat–making sandwiches was a skill he never mastered–but at least it was nourishing.

He finished quickly, and twisted his fairy transmitter-camouflaged-as-a-ring around, pressed a button and lifted his hand to his ear, sticking out his thumb and his pinkie as if he were speaking on an imaginary phone. He barely waited before he heard someone "picking up" on the other end.

"Holly?" he whispered, anxious.

"Artemis?" he heard. The voice was slightly panicked. "Artemis, is that you? What happened? Foaly told me the Mud Men news said you were kidnapped. Are you alright?" It didn't really reassure Artemis that Holly sounded just as scared as he was.

"Yes, I'm fine," he whispered back in Gnommish. "I was kidnapped by two males around one a.m. this morning. I am currently in the cabin of a boat that is sailing south of Ireland, towards Italy I think." He heard Holly's sharp intake of breath, but continued. "Don't speak, I don't know how long I can do this without them hearing me. My kidnappers aren't human, Holly. They aren't like anything I've heard of or seen before. They look like Mud Men, except that they are incredibly beautiful, strong, their skin is icy, they run at a speed that defies imagination. Their irises are burgundy. They can speak very fast, and so low I can't hear what they say, even though I wasn't a meter away. I read their lips–they were speaking Italian–and only managed to understand that my kidnapping wasn't supposed to be discovered until morning, but I saw them and set off the alarm before they caught me. Their names are Demetri and Felix, and they have another accomplice called Aro. Do you have any idea of what they can be?"

There was no sound on the other end, and then he heard Holly.

"I haven't heard of anything like that, I'll ask Foaly." Again, there was a pause, and Artemis trembled, lest his kidnappers heard him and discovered his communicator. Then, he heard Holly again.

"Foaly doesn't know about them either." Holly's voice was calm now, but Artemis knew her too well. She was always reassuring when situations were at their worst. "Don't panic Artemis, I'm on your case, and I'll do everything I can to get you out of here. Do you know why they kidnapped you?" she asked.

"No, I don't," Artemis answered. "Though since they aren't human, I doubt it's for money."

"Well, Foaly is tracking the transmitter, so don't take it off if you can. I won't be contacting you much, since you're afraid of being overheard. If I do call you and you can't answer, at least turn on the transmitter so we can hear what's happening. We won't speak through it unless you talk to us first. Is there anything else you want me to do?" Holly asked worriedly.

"Yes," Artemis said, his voice shaky. "Please tell Butler about what happened. Most of all, tell him not to come to try to find me. Tell him it's an order from his master or a plea from his friend, whichever works best. These creatures are stronger than him, and stronger than anything we have faced before. And be careful, Holly."

A few years ago, he would never had said anything like that. But Artemis Fowl had changed: he cared for his friends. Now, he was just as scared for his life as for theirs.

"Of course I will," Holly answered with a strange laugh. "The LEP doesn't want to lose me. Take care, Artemis." The line went dead. Artemis waited, his heart pounding, for his kidnappers to come, but there was no sound. He sighed in relief. They must not have heard, or thought he was talking gibberish to reassure himself.

Again, he went outside to try to get more information from his captors. He needed to know as much as he could find out to inform the People. The two of them hadn't moved, even though as soon as he came out from his cabin their eyes never left him. Cautiously, he walked up to them.

"Sleep well?" Felix asked with a mischievous smile.

"Very well, thank you" Artemis answered curtly. "How about you?" The two of them laughed as if he had something extremely funny, but didn't answer. Artemis tried something else. "Are you taking me to Italy?" The creatures calmed down, and Demetri murmured:

"So very bright … I can see why Aro wanted him." Again, that Aro. Artemis assumed he was right about Italy.

"Aro is you boss, isn't he?" he continued, fishing for information.

"In a way, yes," Demetri answered cautiously.

"And he wants me because I'm clever?" This was strange. People who needed his intelligence always tried to get him through money. Why hadn't these people done that first? They were obviously quite wealthy, considering the expensive car and boat.

"Indeed," Felix said. Artemis saw a calculating smile appear on Felix's face, a smile he knew well. He himself used it quite a bit. "So, Artemis, tell us what you think about us," Felix continued.

"If you tell me why you kidnapped me," Artemis said shortly. Felix burst into laughter.

"Oh, I do like him, Demetri! Always bargaining or tricking for information … Good thing we just went hunting, though, because–"

"I know, Felix," Demetri interrupted. Turning towards Artemis, he asked him almost kindly: "Now, we would be _extremely_ interested if you told us what you think we are, since that seemed to trouble you this morning." Artemis wondered how much he could tell. He had already almost admitted to them that he didn't think they were human, and they also nearly confirmed it. He wouldn't be risking much more by saying it clearly.

"I know you aren't human. I don't know what you are though." Artemis hated giving out information–he always felt like he was giving weapons to the enemy. But these creatures didn't seem like they would take it calmly if he refused to cooperate.

"Non-human sentient beings?" Demetri asked, his face composed in a surprised mask. "Why do you think such things exist?" _Because I'm friends with such things, as you call them_ Artemis thought, but he didn't voice it aloud. He had to be careful. If these creatures didn't know about the People, he mustn't lead them to them. He couldn't lead them to Holly.

"There is no other rational explanation for what I saw," Artemis answered calmly.

"You call your explanation rational?" Felix asked with a shrewd expression. Artemis didn't like this conversation. They were trying to extract too much information from him.

"Yes," he answered shortly.

"Why?" Felix asked with a smirk. Artemis sighed: so much for trying to give short answers.

"No human can do what you did, run as fast, talk as fast, as cold, have eyes of that colour. Therefore, you are either a mutants or another species altogether. Personally I think you are too alien to still be human, so you can't be mutants, or still belong to my species."

"Amazing," said Felix softly. It was then that Artemis realized for the first time how beautiful the voices of those two creatures were. What were these people? Were they the pinnacle of evolution, being so physically perfect? Well, at least he was impressing them too. He might as well continue.

"When did you go hunting?" he asked. Demetri shot Felix an exasperated look, but Felix answered with yet another smirk.

"Just before we embarked."

"What do you hunt?" Artemis asked. Now both Felix and Demetri looked unhappy at Artemis' question.

"Enough questions," Felix snapped. It took all of Artemis' self control not to take a step back in fear. He _wouldn't_ let them see he was scared. He was a Fowl. He would act with dignity at all times. Though he somehow had the feeling these two creatures, whatever they were, could sense his fear anyway.

"We have a long journey ahead of us–a week I'd say, if the weather stays good." Demetri said in a soothing voice. You are free to roam on the boat wherever you like if the door from your cabin is unlocked, as long as you don't get into trouble. We have removed any communication devices, so don't try to look for any. As you have certainly have seen, there is all the food you will need in your cabin."

Artemis understood he was being dismissed.


	2. Chapter 2: Volterra

**Summary:** The Volturi hear about Artemis Fowl's prodigious intelligence and decide to turn him into a vampire and make him join the guard. Artemis must not only protect the People from the Volturi's greediness, but there's also the matter of punitive expedition concerning the Cullens. Post TTP and during Breaking Dawn. A/H, canon Twilight couples.

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_"We have a long journey ahead of us–a week I'd say, if the weather stays good." Demetri said in a soothing voice. You are free to roam on the boat wherever you like if the door from your cabin is unlocked, as long as you don't get into trouble. We have removed any communication devices, so don't try to look for any. As you have certainly have seen, there is all the food you will need in your cabin."_

_Artemis understood he was being dismissed._

**Chapter 2: Volterra**

They had been sailing for a few days now. The weather was getting significantly warmer, to Artemis' relief. He didn't have warm clothes with him, and apparently his captors hadn't thought of bringing any either. He had consequentially spent his days shivering constantly, or taking refuge in his bed.

He had called Holly again to give an account of his conversation with the creatures. They had confirmed that they weren't human and that they were headed for Italy. Holly still didn't know what they were, and the People couldn't risk to send Retrieval in such conditions–if it ever was accepted to send the LEP to rescue Artemis Fowl.

He was resting–there wasn't much else to do–when Demetri suddenly entered the cabin. Artemis sat up quickly, wondering what was happening. Ignoring him completely, Demetri opened a trapdoor in the floor that Artemis had never noticed. _Another thing I overlooked_, he thought, annoyed at himself for his carelessness.

"Get in," Demetri ordered, with a look of disgust and faint dread on his face. Artemis wondered what the matter was. He obeyed and clambered inside. Looking up, he saw Demetri who looked now like he was positively afraid.

"I'm going to come down with you. You are not to say a word until I reopen the trapdoor. If you try to attract attention or to make a sound, I won't kill you, but I will kill the people coming on the boat. And if you move around too much, I will kill _you_." Artemis nodded, before Demetri stepped in and closed the trapdoor behind him.

The air was stuffy inside, and the swaying of the ship made Artemis feel like throwing up. Not a very wise idea, considering what the person next to him had just told him. Demetri sat as far as possible from him in the tiny space, and stopped moving. Completely. Artemis couldn't take his eyes off of his perfect stillness.

After what seemed like hours, he heard people talking above him–in English. Suddenly he realized why he was hiding. They were passing the Strait of Gibraltar. The sound of footsteps echoed closer and closer to him. He tensed when he heard people opening the door to his cabin and looking in. A part of him was hoping that they would notice the trapdoor and open it, even if that was highly unlikely–after all, he hadn't noticed it before Demetri had opened it, and he prided himself with his observation skills. The rational side however, told him that the people coming in on the boat, whoever they were, would probably get killed if they found out the hideaway.

Finally, they were off, and Demetri opened the trapdoor, swiftly getting out. Artemis had barely stood up by the time Demetri was out the door. _Strange_. He seemed like he couldn't stand close contact. How had he managed to carry him that night? That was one other thing he should tell Holly.

Two days later, Artemis saw the coast of Italy. Unfortunately, he saw it from the window of the cabin. He could not go outside during the day anymore: his captors locked the door. He wondered what was the reason behind this; they never offered an explanation.

It was night when they finally reached land. Artemis could make out the feeble lights of a small harbor out the porthole. Felix came to get him out of the cabin.

"Come along," he said with a joyful smile. Artemis followed calmly, knowing it was pointless to resist. Waiting silently next to the boat was a tiny figure cloaked in dark grey. Despite the darkness, Artemis could see Felix and Demetri's lips curving into a smile.

"Jane," Demetri said.

"Demetri," the creature answered. Artemis gasped. It was a girl, a little girl speaking and the sound of her voice was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. The girl looked up at him, and he shivered.

She was not human, but he had expected that. Her face was angelic, a Leonardo painting. She had two shockingly burgundy eyes, just like Demetri and Felix. But what shocked him the most was that her face, her expression, reminded him of himself a few years ago. Twelve years old. Confident. Arrogant. _Dangerous_. Except that she was probably much more dangerous than he had ever been. If not quite as arrogant.

"So this is Artemis Fowl ..." Jane said, eyeing him speculatively.

"Yes," Felix said. "Quite exceptional for a human." Jane looked surprised at Felix's words. "Oh, he figured out right away that we weren't human," Felix explained nonchalantly. "Now, if you don't mind, keep an eye on him while we hunt–we won't be long." Suddenly, they both were gone.

"Well, Artemis Fowl," Jane said in a soft voice. "It seems we are left here to … _bond._" She wrinkled her nose at the word.

"I'm not particularly keen on becoming a victim of the Stockholm syndrome," Artemis replied. "So I'd rather we keep the _bonding_ to a minimum. Unless you have interesting facts to relate, because your two friends there weren't very talkative." Artemis tried his best to sound cool and detached, but wasn't sure he pulled it off. That girl scared him. He didn't want to have anything to do with her. At his words, Jane scowled.

"Don't talk to me like that. I would hurt you but Aro said I couldn't." An infuriated pout appeared on her angelic face at the thought of not being permitted to do what she wanted. Artemis fought back a shiver. How could someone so young like to hurt people so much?

_Easily_, he thought, remembering how he had been at twelve. Had he really liked to hurt people though, or had he been only unconcerned about the consequences of his actions on the lives of others? He remembered Holly's devastated when he had made her believe she had betrayed the People. He had been ruthless, that was certain, but he just as certainly hadn't liked witnessing Holly's despair.

Jane didn't talk to him anymore, and just stood next to him, watching him with her strange eyes. Artemis wondered what his chances of escaping were. Jane was young. Maybe he was stronger and faster than her. Somehow he doubted it. Besides, Felix and Demetri had not seemed concerned in the least about leaving him alone with her, so she must be powerful.

Soon, Felix and Demetri were back. Artemis gasped when he saw their eyes: they were vivid red, like … blood. A thought entered his mind, but he pushed it away forcefully. They couldn't be that, it would be too horrible... Felix pointed at a black car that was parked a few meters away.

"Get in the car. We're driving to Volterra." Artemis did as he was told, while his mind was working in overdrive. _Volterra_. A stunning Tuscany town, an important city during the Etruscan period. Why would they want to go to Volterra? Well, at least that was an advantage of his kidnapping–he got to see gorgeous architecture.

"You should get some sleep, Artemis," Demetri said from the front seat. "You won't have much after tonight." The way he said it made it sound like he was meaning something else. Artemis obeyed–it was a good idea after all. Just before he fell into unconsciousness, he heard the angelic voice next to him say:

"Had you noticed his eyes?"

The sun was high in the sky when he woke up, but it didn't hurt his eyes because again the glass was tinted. He looked around, trying to find his bearings. Next to him, Jane's eyes were always watchful.

"Sleep well?" she asked with a smirk.

"Quite," Artemis answered frostily. "The seat wasn't as comfortable as a bed, but it was sufficient." Jane laughed, and Artemis hated the fact that he thought it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. "How did _you_ sleep?" he asked.

"I'll tell you in three days," Jane answered with a frightening smile.

"Jane," Demetri chastised, but she only smirked. Three days. What did that mean? Artemis couldn't understand what these people could want with him. What did they have to go all the way to Italy for? Soon however, they were entering Volterra, and all those thoughts left his head. Fascinated, Artemis observed the houses. It really was a beautiful town, on a hill, with the sun illuminating the stone buildings.

"Like what you see?" Demetri asked. Artemis nodded silently, totally engrossed in the spectacle outside the car. Of course, he had seen pictures–even extremely high definition shots he had stolen from the People's database–but nothing compared to the original. He heard a chuckle but didn't pay any attention to it. After a week on a boat with Felix and Demetri, he knew it was no use trying to question them, so he didn't feel the need to play politeness with his captors.

Unexpectedly, he had to fight back the urge to cry, because he thought of his parents. _Mother_, he thought longingly. Father. Myles and Beckett. Would he ever see them again? There wasn't only his family: there were other people he cared for, Butler and Holly especially. He swallowed back a sob. He couldn't let his kidnappers know the effect they had on him. Artemis Fowl would never make such a spectacle of himself in front of known enemies.

The car sped through the narrow streets, but Artemis wasn't scared. Butler had driven faster in more crowded areas. These people, whatever they were, seemed to know what they were doing. They passed under an arch, and parked in a small courtyard. The three creatures were out before Artemis had the time to react, and Felix was opening the door for him.

"Out you go," he said with a playful smile. Artemis clambered down, his legs stiff from the long ride. He felt Felix tense as he almost fell over, loosing balance. "Be careful!" he hissed, his smile now completely gone. Demetri was by his side the next second, holding Felix's arm in a calming gesture.

"Let's get him inside, and get this over with," he said softly. Artemis felt his blood go cold at those words. What were they going to do? What if they were going to kill him? _That's ridiculous_, his rational–and hopeful–side protested. They wouldn't bring him all the way to Italy to kill him like that. His enemies, whoever they were, still had a modicum of common sense.

They entered a stone house through a small door. Inside, everything was dark. Artemis almost tripped again, but Demetri caught him. "This is ridiculous," he thought he heard from behind him. They continued walking in the darkness for what seemed like hours, before they arrived in a brightly lit lobby. Sitting on top of the front desk were signs indicating that they were in the Volterra castle. Artemis frowned. How come his kidnappers were bringing him in such a public place?

"Jane, Felix, Demetri, welcome back." Artemis eyes snapped to the woman who had talked. She was standing behind the front desk, looking at them with a professional smile–and she was human, he noted with surprise. From the corner of his eye he saw Jane and Demetri nod to the woman, but Felix looked at her with a bright smile.

"Hello Gianna!"

Artemis observed the woman closely. She didn't seem surprised about anything–the fact that his kidnappers looked inhumanly beautiful, that they were bringing a fifteen year old human–and he realized that she knew. She knew what was going on. Now he noticed how tense her smile was, and how she hid extremely well her fear. Why was she afraid? She was working here, surely his kidnappers wouldn't hurt her?

Looking back at the three creatures though, he got the definite feeling they could.

He was ushered through another door, and again in another corridor–this was getting boring. Finally Felix opened a door and motioned Artemis to go through.

Inside was a bedroom, with a large four-poster bed. Turning, Artemis saw that Felix and Jane were waiting at the threshold. They were both watching Demetri, who had followed Artemis inside.

"Well, I hope you don't mess up," Felix said, and Artemis fought back a shiver. Demetri nodded and murmured:

"Thank you."

Artemis looked at him questioningly. He couldn't repress the dread he was feeling as he saw Demetri silently close the door. When Demetri looked back towards him, Artemis nearly gasped in terror.

He hadn't seen many people about to reluctantly murder somebody, but he expected they had the same look that was in Demetri's eyes.

Something bad was going to happen, something awful, he knew it. Demetri sensed Artemis' tenseness and gave him a soothing smile, but it didn't help much.

"I'm sorry Artemis, but this is going to be very, _very_ painful. Know that all will be well in the end." Artemis didn't have the time to react, it all went so fast. One second, Demetri was at the other end of the room and the second after, he was biting hard into Artemis' neck. Artemis yelled in pain and in shock. He dimly noted Demetri licking his wound and pulling back with a hungry look on his face.

Pain, the most unbearable pain ever was spreading from the place where Demetri had bitten. He felt Demetri picking him up and setting him on the bed, while he was thrashing around in agony.

"Stop it! Stop it please!" he begged, his usually impeccable self-control completely to pieces. "I'll do anything! Just stop it! _Make_ it stop, please!" He felt tears streaming down his cheeks. They prevented him from seeing properly Demetri's desolate expression.

"I'm sorry for the pain," he said loudly and clearly over Artemis' screams, "but it was necessary. You asked us what we were a few days ago. It is time for your answer now: I am a vampire, Artemis Fowl, as are Felix and Jane, and many other people you will soon meet. And in three days, you will be one too." He left Artemis alone with his pain.

He didn't know how long he stayed on the bed, screaming desperately in pain. Was it hours, minutes, days? He hoped it was days, because Demetri had said it would be over in three days. That was the only thing that gave him comfort now, knowing it would end at some point.

The door opened and in came Demetri, as well as another person Artemis didn't know. He tried to refrain from screaming in front of them, but it was hard, so hard. "Please," he whimpered, "please stop this!" He didn't dare talking much more, because he would certainly scream again, and that hurt his already agonizing throat.

The man came closer to the bed and observed him. Artemis couldn't pay much attention to him, the pain was too strong.

Only a few instants after the two started inspecting him, he felt something completely unexpected: the vibration of his hidden fairy transmitter. Holly was calling. He couldn't contain his cry of pain as he moved his hand to turn on the transmitter.

He hoped he had done the right thing. Now Holly could hear everything that was said in the room. Maybe the vampires would talk, and Holly would find a way to save him. He held on to that hope as the two vampires started talking. _Holly will save me, she always does_.

"How long does he have until the change?" The voice was faraway, Artemis couldn't fully grasp what was happening.

"One more day," Demetri's voice said.

"Still one day?" The other voice sounded disappointed.

"It would have been sooner if we didn't have to wait until we were in Volterra to change him." Another wave of pain hit him and Artemis couldn't help but yell again. The two vampires looked at him briefly, and then resumed their conversation.

"It wouldn't have been prudent or practical to change him on the way. He would have been uncontrollable around humans, it would have been to hard to bring him here." There was a pause, only filled by Artemis' whimpers. "This was the best solution, even though I hate waiting for the change to be complete. Still, what is one day in our life?" The man laughed.

"Please," Artemis begged, terrorized by the prospect of another day of agony. "Please stop this or kill me!"

"It will be over soon," Demetri said in a soothing voice. Artemis felt cold hands on his forehead, but it was hardly any help. Fire was coursing down his veins, burning every single cell down in horrible pain. It had to stop, he could never survive any more of this.

"Please!" he yelled again. The stranger looked down at his prone form thoughtfully.

"He looks too young. Didn't Heidi say he was eighteen? He doesn't look a day beyond sixteen, maybe less."

Demetri shrugged.

"The boy is smart, Master. He probably faked his birthday certificate."

"Yes, that's a good idea," the stranger replied. He looked at Artemis for another second, before leaving the room without another look. Demetri followed right after him.

The fire was continuing, consuming Artemis' whole body, and would do so for another whole day. He wanted to die.

His pain-addled brain tried to figure out the best way to act: should he speak to Holly? The vampires would hear him for sure, and he didn't want to lead them to the People. He wanted Holly to save him from this hell, but he didn't want to hurt the fairies in the process. His confused mind couldn't decide what course of action to take, the pain was far too consuming. Again he screamed in agony.

"I can't do this!" he whimpered. "Oh please, stop it!" But the fire did not abate. It continued, worse than before, if that was possible. Artemis' voice was hoarse from screaming. Every single second was complete torture.

The solution finally came to his mind, and if he had been in possession of all his faculties, he would have been astonished by it's selflessness.

In a day he would be a vampire. There was nothing Holly could do for him, except put herself in danger. "Vampires!" he screamed in Gnommish–it was impossible to speak any lower, the pain was too much. "Don't come, too dangerous!"

Holly was frozen in horror in front of the transmitter. She could still hear Artemis shrieks on the other end, but she didn't try talking again. There were obviously other people in the room–she had heard them–and Artemis was in so much pain it was doubtful he would have answered rationally. Holy balled her fists tightly.

And then Artemis Fowl had said–screamed, really–something incredible. _Vampires_. If had been anyone else, she would have thought it was a joke. If he hadn't been screaming in agony like that, she would have doubted him. Even he wasn't that good an actor, and he would never ever voluntarily make himself so vulnerable–that was something he despised above all. These vampires were going to pay for what they were doing to Artemis. Despite what he had said, she would find them. After all, she knew where to look.

Volterra, Italy.

The pain had started to fade, slowly, so slowly, so excruciatingly slowly. Artemis could feel the tips of his fingers getting colder and colder, after the three-day fire. The coldness crept up his body. _Am I dying_? he thought, scared. He knew that it would be a release, but this coldness was frightening. The rest of his body was still hurting, every single heartbeat incredibly painful. As the coldness spread, Artemis realized his heart was going slower and slower.

_I'm dying_, he thought. _My body couldn't take the transformation._

Strangely, his was regaining a higher level of consciousness as the pain faded and his heart beat slower and slower. People were filing in the room silently, looking at him intently. Artemis' thrashing got feebler as the pain receded. _Are they coming here to watch me die?_ he wondered.

Suddenly, his heartbeat accelerated into unbearable pain–he couldn't help his tortured shriek–before stopping entirely.

That should mean death, but he wasn't. He was thinking, though, so he must at least _be_ something. Was he a vampire, then? Had he survived the transformation, after all? Looking up at the people in front of him, he was amazed by how incredibly more acute his eyesight was.

"Am I a vampire?" he choked out. His voice had the same alluring quality than Felix, Demetri and Jane.

"Foaly?" said Holly as she barged into the controller room.

"D'arvit, Holly, don't come in like that!" protested the centaur. "I don't even have time to notice you on the control screen! Do you want to scare me to death?"

Holly inhaled deeply. She could not get distracted.

"I don't have time for jokes, Foaly. Artemis is in trouble–"

"As usual," the centaur cut in, not noticing how distressed the elf captain was.

"_Foaly,_" she hissed. "I tried to contact him. He turned the transmitter on, but he didn't answer. I heard him." She winced at the memory. "Frond, it was awful–I heard him screaming as if he were being tortured." Holly tried to fight back the tears as she remembered what she had heard. Foaly gave her shoulder a squeeze. She took a deep breath. "Apparently, he found out what they are. Vampires, Foaly, they are _vampires._

Foaly's eyes widened. Before he could comment, Holly continued:

"At least I know where to look for; I heard people talking in the

background. Apparently, they're in Volterra, Italy. Can you find me a way to get there _fast_?"

"I don't know, Holly," Foaly answered slowly. "This sounds mighty dangerous; we know nothing of these creatures, these _vampires,_ if your assumption is correct. I don't see the LEP giving you permission to go save a Mud Boy from them, even–or especially–if it's Artemis Fowl."

"Then cover for me until I'm above ground," Holly said determinedly. "In any case, I have the recording of the communication. Maybe you'll be able to extract more information than me."

Foaly hesitated, but Holly was already outside the door. He didn't understand: since that episode with the lemur Jayjay, Fowl and Holly hadn't seemed to get on as well as usual–not they had ever gotten along particularly well. Why was she now determined to rush aboveground to save him from what sounded like the most dangerous situation they had ever came across?

**A.N. : Thank you for those who read/reviewed the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy this installment. If you have time, don't hesitate to leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3: Awakening

**Summary:** The Volturi hear about Artemis Fowl's prodigious intelligence and decide to turn him into a vampire and make him join the guard. Artemis must not only protect the People from the Volturi's greediness, but there's also the matter of punitive expedition concerning the Cullens. Post TTP and during Breaking Dawn. A/H, canon Twilight couples.

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A.N.:** I don't know if I'll have time to post another chapter before next week. The story in itself is finished, but I do the editing before posting, and I'll be away from my computer from Wednesday to next Monday. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review!

**Warning: There is a Twilight (minor) death in this chapter.**

_"Then cover for me until I'm above ground," Holly said determinedly. "In any case, I have the recording of the communication. Maybe you'll be able to extract more information than me."_

_Foaly hesitated, but Holly was already outside the door. He didn't understand: since that episode with the lemur Jayjay, Fowl and Holly hadn't seemed to get on as well as usual–not they had ever gotten along particularly well. Why was she now determined to rush aboveground to save him from what sounded like the most dangerous situation they had ever came across?_

**Chapter 3: Awakening**

Artemis looked at the people in the room. He could recognize Felix, Demetri and Jane, their features more detailed that he had ever seen them, but there were also other vampires he didn't know. All their eyes were fixed on him as Demetri approached slowly.

"Yes," he said slowly. "You are a vampire." Artemis gasped, even though he was prepared for the news.

"Why?" he whispered.

"Aro heard of you," Demetri answered. "He heard you were … clever. Very clever, much clever than most humans. So he was interested in you and what you would become."

"What I would become?" Artemis asked weakly. He didn't like the direction this conversation was taking.

"Indeed. You see, we have noticed that some humans bring into the immortal life their strongest traits, enhanced by the change. Your mind was already phenomenal, but now, if everything went right, it must be..."

"Beyond description," Artemis said, feeling his stomach sinking. There was another feeling however, one he couldn't quite describe, something stronger than anything he had ever felt before. At the same time his mind was reeling, analyzing the situation, remembering a conversation he once had with Minerva on the phone.

"_I am not as careless as you, Artemis. I prefer anonymity, until I have something exceptional to be recognized for._"

Thirst, it was thirst. Intense, painful, all-consuming thirst. While part of him acknowledged what the feeling was, the rest was still working hard on finding an escape.

He had been careless. Even though he had hidden the existence of the People, he had not hidden the fact that he was a criminal mastermind. He had an Interpol file for heaven's sake! Another memory came back to him, of when he had been listening outside of a van in which Holly was healing Butler.

"_Not smart enough to keep himself out of trouble._"

"I'm thirsty," Artemis said with horror. If he really was a vampire, that would mean he would have to … He didn't want to think about it.

"Yes," Demetri answered with a grim smile. "That's quite normal. Before you sustain yourself however, I will explain a few things to you."

"Sustain myself?"

Artemis found himself unable to hide the panic in his voice now. Jane was looking at him with an angelic smile, a smile he was starting to associate with bad news. Demetri nodded.

"As you know, you are in Volterra. Here is the home of the most ancient vampires, the Volturi. Our masters, Aro, Marcus and Caius, have ruled over the vampires for three thousand years now." So Aro, the man who had wanted him, was one of the leaders. Things weren't getting any better. "You are now part of their guard, as we are," Demetri continued.

"I suppose you also have powers, don't you?" Artemis asked.

"Yes, we do, but that isn't the point now. Now that you are a vampire, you owe the Volturi loyalty. Make no mistake, they will know it if you so much as _think_ of betraying them. Even your mind will not outwit them. We will take you to them, and you will do a little bit of training, before you start to go on missions."

As Demetri finished his sentence, a sunbeam from the window hit Jane. Artemis eyes widened in realization, but Jane did not look troubled. Under his bewildered gaze, her skin started to _sparkle_. It was the most shocking, beautiful thing Artemis had ever witnessed, and he had seen a lot.

"What?" Demetri asked, noticing that Artemis' attention had shifted to something else.

"I was just realizing that part of the myths about you don't apply." Demetri looked back at Jane, and understanding lit his features. "So clever," he whispered very low, and Artemis was surprised to find out he could hear it.

"What else is different?" Artemis asked. He needed to get as much information as possible if he wanted to make a plan to escape.

"Apart from the sun?" Demetri said. "We don't sleep. The usual weapons used against vampires in stories are completely useless–stakes, crosses, silver. The only way to destroy us is to tear us into pieces and burn them."

"A fate that will happen to you if you betray us," Felix interrupted. Artemis fought back a shiver. He had the feeling that Felix would enjoy doing just that. It would perhaps be smart to change the conversation.

"What do your masters want me for?" he asked, trying to sound confident.

"Well, before you are asked to do anything, we will have to evaluate your … abilities." Artemis gulped, and the thirst he was feeling doubled. Demetri seemed to notice his reaction. "Come," was all he said, and Artemis followed obediently.

Felix and Jane were right behind them as they walked through the corridor, while the rest of the vampires that had been silently observing him in the room headed in another direction.

"Demetri?" Artemis asked slowly. "What are we doing?" Demetri looked back at him and smirked.

"We are going to feed you."

At those words, Artemis stopped dead in his tracks. He felt Felix and Jane almost colliding into him, but obviously they were too fast to be so clumsy. "Move," Felix hissed.

"From humans?" Artemis whispered, horrified.

"Of course," Demetri replied simply.

"Isn't there another way?" Artemis asked desperately. There had to be another solution, there always was. He had to find something fast, because the mere mention of him drinking from humans intensified his thirst tenfold.

"It is natural for vampires to drink from humans," Jane answered from behind him. Artemis frowned. They were hiding something from him, and he had to figure it out before he got close to a human. If his intuitions were right and he was really thirsting for blood at this very moment, he didn't know how would be able to control himself.

"That doesn't mean there isn't another way," he insisted.

"We will see," Demetri said, and he continued to walk through the corridor. Artemis' panic was rising every instant. There had to be another way. What was it?

But then something happened that made him forget all of his former worries. It was a scent, so delicious, so utterly tempting he couldn't resist forgetting about everything else. He quickened his pace, leaving Demetri slightly behind. No one tried to stop him. Goodness, what was that scent? He _had_ to find out, he had to quench his thirst that was burning his throat. He broke into a run.

The scent was coming from behind a plain wooden door. He pushed it open, and pounced. There was a form there, screaming in terror, but in less than a second later, the only sound left was the sucking of blood from the human's neck. It felt so good, so right.

Suddenly, there was no more blood to drain, and Artemis snapped back to his rational sense, jumping back in horror. What had he done? Lying lifeless on the floor was a woman, her eyes frozen in terror, her face deathly pale–not a drop of blood was left in her frail body.

Artemis recognized the woman from the front desk–Gianna.

He heard noise behind him, and turned around, his eyes wide. Demetri, Felix and Jane were looking intently at him.

"You don't want to drink from humans, Artemis Fowl?" Jane asked in a sweet voice.

"No, I don't," Artemis replied, trying to sound determined.

"How then?" she asked, and he couldn't answer. He couldn't believe he had done this–he was a monster, worse than a monster.

"What have you done to me?" he asked in horror.

"The question, Artemis," Felix said with a smirk, "is what _you_ have done."

_I am not a cold blooded murderer_, he had said once. _Just give yourself some time_, Holly had answered.

"I just killed a human being," Artemis whispered.

"Yes," Jane said with disgusting glee. "It's the way it's supposed to be. It's only natural."

Artemis was too depressed to fight back, but he knew intuitively–and was strongly comforted by the way they had skirted around the issue–that there was another way, an _unnatural_ way, a way these vampires didn't like, but a way nonetheless. He would have to find out.

"Come," Demetri said comfortingly. "It's time for you to see your masters." Artemis wasn't comforted in the least.

Again, they walked through the endless corridors, but Artemis' mind seemed to memorize every twist and turn faster and with much more ease than what he was used to. That would mean that his captor's theory was right–his mind had been enhanced. That was probably the only advantage of this situation: he'd need more than his customary–even if it was extraordinary–intelligence to escape.

Finally, Demetri opened a door and mentioned Artemis to step in. He obeyed silently, and the others followed after him. They were in a large circular room, that looked like the inside of a tower–they were still inside the Volterra castle. After taking in his surroundings, Artemis studied the occupant of the room. There seemed to be a huge commotion. A frightened looking female was talking to three others, fragile looking cloaked vampires, the rest–some of which he recognized as those who had watched his awakening–were observing the scene a few meters away.

"Are you sure?" the scariest of the three vampires asked in a harsh tone. The female vampire in front of him trembled, nodded, and touched the outstretched hand of another of the three vampires.

"Jane, dear," one of the three vampires said in a pleasant voice, "can you please take Irina to her room?"

"Yes, master," Jane answered in a meek and loving tone, which Artemis thought was totally out of place. Jane left, followed by Irina.

"We have a lot to discuss," one of the vampires said. Artemis thought he recognized him: he was the one who came to visit him during his transformation. "I can't believe Carlisle betrayed us in such a way."

"He is to be punished," the angry looking vampire said. "They should all be destroyed."

"Come now, Caius," the first one said, "we must think this over." He turned towards them and his eyes brightened. "Ah, good news at last! Young Artemis is finally changed!"

The vampire Caius scowled.

"Really, Aro, this isn't the time, with what we heard of the Cullens…"

"Nonsense! A few minutes won't hurt. You must excuse Caius, Artemis, for we have just received some very distressing news."

Artemis nodded, unsure of what was expected of him. When he looked back up, he saw the vampires eyes widen.

"Your eyes …" he murmured. Artemis tried to stay impassible. It wasn't surprising that the vampires, with their incredible eyesight, would notice the difference between his human blue eye and his fairy hazel one.

"We noticed only one eye changed color, master," Demetri said quickly. "He had a blue and a hazel eye, only the blue changed."

"My eyes changed?" Artemis asked, a little worried.

"You haven't showed him a mirror?" the joyful vampire asked, still observing Artemis closely.

"We came almost straight to you, master," Felix explained. Artemis' body went rigid at the implication. He could see the woman's lifeless body, and he hated the fact that his own still craved more blood. He was a monster …

"Yes," the vampire said, "we shall certainly explain this later. Let us start properly though. I'm very sorry, Artemis, I haven't introduced myself …"

Artemis took a wild guess.

"You're Aro, aren't you?"

"Spot on!" Aro nearly clapped his hands in appreciation. Artemis hid his surprise as best as he could: he hadn't expected a powerful vampire to act like a child with a new toy. Aro looked nothing like a child, though. He was more fragile looking than Jane, Felix and Demetri, but it was plain he was still very dangerous. He had long black hair that flowed down his back, the same color as his cloak. What unsettled Artemis the most was the milky film in his eyes.

"Of course, you do not know my brothers," Aro continued, oblivious or ignoring Artemis' inspection. "These are Caius (the angry vampire with white hair nodded once) and Marcus." The last one, looking utterly bored, didn't even react. And these were the most powerful vampires on earth? Looks must certainly be deceiving, for Artemis would never have bet for them in a fight, and he remembered what Felix had said about them. Aro seemed unfazed by both of his brothers' lack of enthusiasm, and continued speaking.

"I'm afraid you haven't met us at the best of times, for we have just received very grave news from abroad."

Artemis noted how delighted Felix seemed, despite what Aro had said.

"Now, I know Demetri has explained a little bit of our world to you, and that you have discovered some of it on your own–" Felix snickered, "and I think we should take a few minutes to get to know each other. What do you say?"

"What is there to say?" Artemis replied coldly. He didn't like Aro's friendliness. Anyone with that much power would never bother to be genuinely nice. Artemis knew it was only a facade. Aro, however, didn't seem bothered by his insolence.

"Well, we can start by shaking hands, if you don't mind."

Artemis clenched his fists reflexively. There was a trick, he knew it. He had manipulated enough people to sense when someone was choosing too carefully their words.

"I do," he said boldly. Caius, who had gone to sit on a throne at the end of the room, frowned. It was still mind-boggling for Artemis to catch so many details. Never had his fairy eyesight been so accurate.

Aro laughed.

"I should have known you would be wary. I'm afraid, however, that you don't have much of a choice."

"What will happen?" Artemis asked, as his hands instinctively went behind his back. This was a trick, he wouldn't let himself be tricked.

"Do what the master says," Felix hissed, but Artemis ignored him.

"Felix," Aro said gently, "no need to be so impolite. I understand young Artemis' worries. I will tell you what will happen, but you will have to subject yourself to this in any case."

Artemis nodded. It would be impossible for him to resist all the vampires against him anyway.

"I am a mind reader, Artemis Fowl. When I touch somebody, I can read their mind, know everything they are thinking and everything they have ever thought."

"No!" Artemis cried, and he bolted. Felix and Demetri must have been prepared for this, for they had caught him before he had time to reach the door. They both snarled ferociously, and if Artemis had still been human, he would have been terrified.

He wasn't anymore though. He was a vampire, and his instincts had changed too. He roared back at them and tried to break free. He was surprised to do it relatively easily, but then more vampires came and he was quickly subdued.

"Now, now," Aro said reproachfully. "We are civilized here, Artemis. Don't force me to call Jane."

Artemis stopped struggling, realizing it would be pointless. In one last desperate attempt, he crushed his fairy transmitter. If Aro was going to learn about the People, Artemis wasn't going to help him reach them.

"Give me your hand, Artemis, and be reasonable."

"No," he whispered, but he put out his hand anyway, and Aro took it.

Artemis didn't feel anything. He could only watch Aro's fascinated face. Fascinated, and then–

"Oh!"

Artemis reflexively jerked his hand away, but then he felt the most terrible pain–nearly as painful as the transformation–burn his body. Seizing, crying, he fell to the floor.

"That is enough, dearest," he heard Aro say through his screams, and the pain stopped as suddenly as it had come. Looking up, he met Jane's delighted smile–truly, there was nothing more beautiful nor more terrifying than that smile.

He got up quickly, mortified by his weakness.

"Artemis," Aro said calmly, "your hand."

"Please don't," he pleaded. "I can't betray them."

"You already have, Artemis. Give me your hand, or I shall ask Jane to persuade you some more."

"Please."

Only a few days ago, Artemis would have thought it beneath him to beg. Aro's greedy expression was enough to persuade him otherwise. He had to protect the People, had to protect Holly from the vampires. He backed up, and Jane attacked again.

He wished he was stronger, that he could withstand the pain without screaming, but it was beyond his strength. He sunk the ground shaking. Dimly, he noted the surprised faces of Demetri and Felix, Jane's delighted smile and another young vampire, just as young as Jane really approaching.

And then the pain stopped.

All the rest stopped with it too. Suddenly, Artemis found himself deaf, dumb, blinded. Even his sense of smell was missing–something he hadn't used much as human, but was essential now that he was a vampire. He couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet, he couldn't tell if he was moving or not. With panic, he realized he wouldn't be able to tell if somebody was touching him or not.

He didn't know how long he stayed like this, completely deprived of all his senses. Slowly, he felt the terrifying sensation faded, and the room came back in focus. The first thing he saw was Aro, standing in front of him, a look of complete confusion on his face.

_You've become a severe liability for the People_.

Those were commander Root's words a few years ago, when he was justifying Artemis' mind wipe. Goodness, if only his memories hadn't come back to him, he could have saved the People from discovery!

"What is it?" Caius snapped after a few seconds. Apparently, he didn't know much about patience. Aro was still immobile, watching Artemis.

"We never knew …" he whispered.

"Never knew what?" Caius asked as he stood up and swept towards Aro. Marcus, on the other hand, still seemed absolutely bored.

"Brothers," Aro said after a while. "I think we need to discuss this privately." Marcus mechanically stood up from his own throne and joined the rest of the group.

"You may resume your activities if you wish it," Aro instructed the room. "Demetri, you will be in charge of Artemis here. Stay close, we may need him at any moment. We shall summon you all in a few hours to decide what must be done–there are two important issues at hand."

With those final words, the three vampires, accompanied by what seemed to be vampire bodyguards, left the room. A few seconds later, the assembly broke into frantic whispers. Artemis was surprised to hear almost everything that was said as clearly as if someone had been speaking in his ear.

He was also surprised to realize that it wasn't the scene he had caused that was the subject of their conversations, but some "immortal child" and "Cullens" that scandalized them.

"Come, Artemis," he heard Demetri said. He followed meekly the vampire into the corridor. They walked quickly–much faster than what he could have achieved running when he was human. After only a few minutes, they entered a room. Artemis shivered when he realized it was the place where he had been changed.

"This is your room now," Demetri indicated. "Though I doubt you'll be using the bed much–you can always remove it if you'd like …"

"Demetri," Artemis interrupted. His mind was working faster than ever, and he had to figure out how to avoid killing humans before Aro called him back. Then he would have to devise a strategy to save the People, without Aro realizing it. Not an easy feat. "There has to be another way of feeding. You all hinted at it."

Demetri made a disgusted face.

"It isn't natural."

"I have to know. I don't care if it isn't, I don't want to kill humans."

Demetri sighed.

"Animals. You can feed off animals."

"It works?"

Demetri sneered.

"Did them a lot of good, didn't it? Drove them crazy–creating an immortal child. Serves them right, they'll be destroyed."

"Who will be destroyed?"

"The Cullens," he answered. "They're a coven of vampires who only drink from animals. There are eight of them–that's a lot by our standards, if you exclude us. The latest addition was only changed a few months ago. She was human when she discovered the existence of vampires, and she fell in love with one of the Cullens–who shared her feelings, the freak."

Demetri's face was incredulous.

"Anyway," he continued. "They have done something completely forbidden–creating an immortal child–and they will be destroyed for that."

"What is an immortal child?" Artemis asked.

"It is a child that has been changed into a vampire." Artemis shuddered at the thought of inflicting so much pain on an infant. "They are completely incontrollable, a danger to us–they could alert the humans of our presence."

"And the Cullens will to die for that?"

"Yes," Demetri answered simply.

"Does no one else drink from animals?" Artemis asked, trying to hide the desperation from his voice. He didn't know if he'd be able to follow that path on his own. Usually, he was independent and trusted in his abilities. But the memory of the craze that had possessed him when he had smelled the human woman's blood made him doubt he would ever be able to control himself on his own.

"There is another coven," Demetri said slowly. "Actually, Irina, the female who informed us about the Cullens' immortal child is one of them."

Artemis controlled his features. One part of his mind was rejoicing that he may have found a mentor, but the other one was trying to figure out the complex manipulations that seemed to be going on. It would seem logical the non human eating covens would stick together. Why then did Irina betray the Cullens to the Volturi? Fear? Hate? Envy? He'd have to figure it out if he wanted to have the upper hand with the vampires.

"Do you think I might be able to see her and ask for her help?"

"Really, Artemis, animal blood is not nearly as satisfying or nourishing as human blood. I know it's shocking in the beginning, but you will get used to it very quickly."

_I am not a cold blooded murderer._

_Just give yourself time._

He wouldn't allow Holly's statement to come true. He would never voluntarily kill a sentient being–it went against the few moral rules he had.

"I don't want to get used to it. Can I please go see her?"

"Not now," Demetri answered with a sigh. "You must wait for the master's summons."

Right, Artemis thought, having almost forgotten about that. Time to figure out a way to keep Holly safe. No problem _at all_.

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At that very moment, Holly Short was sneaking into a civilian shuttle towards the surface, hoping the counterfeit pass Mulch Diggums had made for her would fool anyone who checked. She knew she should have asked the LEP to go out, but it was faster this way. _Illegal is faster, _Mulch had recalled Butler once saying. She didn't care if Artemis had begged her not to come. She would go anyway.

She didn't understand why she felt this urge to save Artemis. He had betrayed her in the worst way several times over. She didn't trust him one bit and yet she still would risk her life–and possibly the secret of the People's existence–to save him. She couldn't explain it to herself.

Yes, and she could always pretend it was also only by accident that she had kissed Artemis Fowl–that her magically adolescent body had let her feel attracted to him, had made her more emotional and vulnerable.

Everybody would fall for that one, wouldn't they?

If she was honest with herself, she knew she would never have kissed him if she hadn't been attracted to him in the first place. He didn't deserve it, of course, she tried to rationalize, and all this proved how superior she was to him, to give him so much when he didn't hesitate to use her.

Keep telling yourself that, she thought. You might convince yourself someday.

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An hour later, Artemis was summoned by the Volturi brothers–he had learned in the meantime the entire hierarchy of the Volturi guard. They were in a smaller room, and only three other vampires were there, hovering protectively around the brothers.

"Artemis!" Aro exclaimed with his usual enthusiasm. Artemis really didn't like it; he much preferred Caius' anger–so much easier to understand and manipulate. Marcus, he had learned, had lost his mate centuries ago, and had been apathetic ever since. Not much of a threat anymore, apparently, apart from his ability to sense people's relationships.

Could he see how much Artemis hated them? How much he wanted to escape?

How he would do anything if he could keep Holly safe?

"My dear boy," Aro continued, "I am aware of your inner turmoils. It is hard for everyone to become immortal, despite the advantages. I know however that it isn't your transformation that is troubling you the most, isn't it?"

"No, it isn't," Artemis answered tonelessly. No point in denying it now, was there?

"We have to admit that we were fascinated by what you revealed to us." Artemis fought to keep an expressionless face. He had already done begging. Besides, they probably didn't care much for weakness. "A whole new world, completely hidden to us!"

"I wonder how …" Caius muttered. Artemis noted that for once, he didn't look angry, merely unhappily surprised.

"Yes, we all do," Aro answered, before turning to Artemis. "Maybe you might be able to give us a theory as to why we have been unaware of the existence of the People for so long, dear boy."

"It's simple, I think," Artemis said, unable to stop relishing giving a lecture. "You both have been hiding extremely effectively from humans, and you have focused your attention on humans."

"Focused our attention on humans?" Aro asked.

"Yes. You see, you were not afraid of discovery in itself. You were afraid of _humans_ discovering you. Therefore, you have watched them closely, and have ignored the small signs that pointed to the existence of other sentient beings."

As had the People.

"Clever," Aro commented lightly. "Unfortunately, we may never know the answer. Now, we have decided that this business with the Cullens is slightly more urgent than the People. After all, they won't vanish that fast. It's a pity you destroyed the communicator, I must admit."

"I can't come to regret it," Artemis replied coldly. Caius hissed in anger, and Artemis would have taken a step back, if not for his determination to hide his fear from the Volturi. He had to have the upper hand. If they hurt Holly …

"We know you care for them, of course," Aro continued, and he was more serious now, though his pleasant tone never seemed to depart him. "For her specifically."

It was a vampire characteristic to be able to stay perfectly still. Artemis was already motionless but Aro's mention of Holly froze him more completely than ever.

"You can help us, Artemis. We are powerful, we shall defeat any resistance in any case. If you help us however, you will have our word that no harm will ever come to your Captain Short."

"She would never forgive me if I helped you."

"Don't you _think_, Artemis, that you have already done worse to her?"

His wince was imperceptible, but he was sure everyone caught it.

"You must think it over, dear boy," Aro said. "Do not answer hastily. In the meantime, I am certain you are still quite thirsty." Artemis' throat burned at the reminder. "I am certain Demetri or Felix could–"

"I'd rather not," Artemis interjected coldly.

"Really?" Aro said in a surprised voice. "My dear boy, you really are extraordinary. Tell me, though, what would you rather do?"

"Drink from animals."

Caius hissed again. Marcus didn't react. Aro's milky eyes were observing him attentively. "I heard it was a possible replacement, and that there was a vampire here who did as much."

"It's unnatural," Caius sneered. "Besides, it's far too dangerous to let him out in the open to go hunting animals."

"Yes, I'd rather not you go out quite yet," Aro remarked, frowning.

"Then if you can bring _humans_ in here, can't you bring animals?" Artemis knew he was asking a lot, but he was desperate. He didn't like the feeling he had–like he couldn't manipulate anyone anymore. Goodness, he hated straightforward thinking.

Caius' sneer changed into a snarl, and Aro grabbed his arm to calm him.

"Your mind is very powerful, Artemis, isn't it?" he asked.

"I believe so," Artemis answered.

"Then give me your hand and think carefully–and truthfully–about the answer of my question: will you be able to hold your breath and stay in control in the middle of humans?"

Artemis held out his hand. He couldn't cheat, he knew it. Would he be able to do this? He remembered how it had been with the human Gianna. He had been uncontrollable, his rational self completely overpowered.

But what if he held his breath? He remembered faintly hearing Gianna's heart, and that sound had made him even more ravenous. Could he be able to ignore the sound of hundreds of hearts pumping that delicious …

He couldn't think of that. He had to focus. His mind was powerful. He had been surprised with Gianna, but he wouldn't let it happen again. Ever. He was strong. He was Artemis Fowl the second for heaven's sake!

Aro laughed as he let go of Artemis' hand.

"We shall ask Irina to go hunting with you tonight."

Now, he only had to find a way to save the People. No big deal.

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Irina was sitting on a chair in her room, her pale, beautiful face devastated. She didn't budge when Artemis came in–having knocked three times and receiving no response.

"Miss Irina?" he asked tentatively.

She slowly came out of her reverie and eyed him curiously.

"You're still very young, aren't you?" Her head tilted to the side, observing him sadly. "Could you call me Irina like everyone else and tell me who you are?"

"I'm Artemis Fowl."

"How old are you?"

Artemis hid his scowl. Adolescence certainly wasn't the time he had wanted to be frozen for eternity into.

"Fifteen," he answered shortly. Irina laughed softly.

"What I meant was: how long have you been changed?"

"Only a few hours," Artemis said nervously. He could see Irina's point now; he must really seem like a baby. Not an impression of himself he like to give. Irina's eyes widened.

"A few _hours_? How is it possible? You have too much control for a newborn!"

"I always was exceptional," Artemis pointed out with his usual smugness, before mentally berating himself. He was supposed to ask this vampire to _help_ him. He should make a good impression. But Irina merely chuckled.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I heard you fed from animals." She nodded slowly. "I was wondering if you could teach me how."

Irina hid her surprise very well, but Artemis was far too observant to miss it. She was probably wary of any one of the Volturi guard–which he was part of now, apparently.

"Your masters would let a newborn out of the castle?" she asked, incredulous.

"Apparently," Artemis answered. He hated when people underestimated him.

"It is true you seem very controlled for a newborn," she noted. "When are we supposed to start, then?"


	4. Chapter 4: Preparation

**Summary:** The Volturi hear about Artemis Fowl's prodigious intelligence and decide to turn him into a vampire and make him join the guard. Artemis must not only protect the People from the Volturi's greediness, but there's also the matter of punitive expedition concerning the Cullens. Post TTP and during Breaking Dawn. A/H, canon Twilight couples.

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A.N.:** I hope you are all having a nice week. Thank you to all those of you who reviewed! This chapter isn't as long as the last one, but about the same length as those before.

_"Your masters would let a newborn out of the castle?" she asked, incredulous._

_"Apparently," Artemis answered. He hated when people underestimated him._

_"It is true you seem very controlled for a newborn," she noted. "When are we supposed to start, then?"_

**Chapter 4: Preparation**

It had been grueling for Artemis. Irina had managed to steal a car, and they had driven through a crowd of humans, with their beating hearts and pulsing blood. Even if he hadn't breathed once–so uncomfortable, Artemis recalled with distaste–it had been torture. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to do something like that ever again.

"It gets easier with time," Irina had reassured him, correctly interpreting his expression. Artemis' frowned deepened: he hated letting people guessing what he was thinking. Where was his impassible face when he needed it?

"You did fine–more than fine, actually, and in no time your eyes will turn golden just like mine," Irina continued. "I have never seen so much self control in my life, apart from Carlisle …"

The vampire winced, her expression pained, before returning to resolute indifference. Artemis would question her about it later, when he had more leverage. He didn't doubt for a second that he would forget it, but right now, there were more pressing matters. Aside from controlling his irrepressible bloodlust, he had to figure a way to save the People from the Volturi.

How, how, _how_ would he do this? Aro would be a fool not check his thoughts at least once a day. There could be no scheming, because he wouldn't be able to hide anything from his new master.

He had to _convince_ him to leave the People in peace. How was he to convince a power-hungry three thousand year old vampire to leave such a golden opportunity alone? He hadn't even managed to convince his ten year old _self_ that there were things more important than money and power.

Of course, there was that option Aro had proposed. Help the Volturi in taking control over the People, and save Holly. A fair bargain, when you thought of it–and the most perfect way to control him.

Holly would hate him for this. Her previous hostile feelings for him–from when he had kidnapped her, when he had made her do things she did not want to do, when he had lied to her, when he had made her believe she had made his mother deathly sick–would be nothing, nothing at all compared to what they would be if he betrayed the People to save her.

How was he to save her, then? How was he to save the fairies?

Bring on the trolls, Artemis thought. Even if he only had human strength, he'd much rather face them than the Volturi.

The trip in the civilian shuttle had been pure torture, but Holly had been expecting it. She should get used to it, because if she ever came out of this alive, there was absolutely no way she wouldn't be sacked from the LEP.

Fowl didn't deserve it, he really didn't. She had a nagging feeling that she wouldn't be able to sleep at night until he she had made sure he was safe, though.

When would things ever be simple with the Mud Boy?

The shuttle doors opened and Holly followed the crowd that was slowly filing towards the big oak tree a few feet away from the chute. She needed as much magic as she could get, and Tara was the best place, even if one had to spend time with a bunch of hippies.

Fowl really didn't deserve it.

Even though it was Aro that had allowed Artemis to go outside the castle, he still surprised the whole expedition went without a hitch. Artemis was becoming annoyed by his constant expressions of wonder. If someone was to be insincere, he might as well not be so exuberant.

"You are truly amazing, my dear boy," Aro was saying, to Artemis' great irritation.

"I _know_," he answered crossly. "I'm smart enough to have noticed it before."

Aro smiled dangerously.

"It would do you good to learn how to show proper respect to your masters, Artemis." He laughed when he saw Artemis' disgusted expression. "Indeed, boy, we are your masters. Even if you do not like it, you must understand that you would not last a day without exposing yourself if you left our protection. You are still far too young."

"Point taken," Artemis noted. "Though you know as well as I do that I'll leave you the instant I don't need you anymore."

"The question, Artemis, is not if you will leave us when you don't need us, it is wether you would leave us when _she_ still needs you to stay."

Artemis gritted his teeth.

"As pleasant as this talk is right now," Aro said with the brightest–and most threatening–smile ever, "we have more urging matters at present. I believe you were told what happened to the Cullens, weren't you?" He barely waited for Artemis' nod before continuing. "We are now preparing to go deal with the problem as soon as we can."

"We?"

For once, Aro's smile was grim.

"The Cullens are powerful. Very, very powerful. It would be too dangerous to go in restricted numbers, and foolish to leave our wives here unprotected."

"We are _all_ going to Washington?"

How powerful were these Cullens? From what he had heard, it seemed like they were only eight. Why was Aro so afraid of them?

"It pains me to do this to Carlisle. I was so fond of him. However, they've become too dangerous, and with the creation of an immortal child…" Aro's smile brightened suddenly. "I believe you have never been to Seattle?"

Artemis sighed.

"You don't have to ask, _master_. You already know."

Somehow, Artemis got used to living with the Volturi. Strangely, he noticed how reluctant to leave them he became over the days. The only thing that seemed to reduce this feeling was thinking of Holly. It was quite a paradox, since Holly was supposed to be the very reason he should stay with the Volturi.

As the strange feeling intensified, he started suspecting a manipulation of some sort from the Volturi, which had greatly frustrated him greatly. Artemis Fowl the second did not fall for simple mind tricks!

Because of that, he was quite unwilling to admit his new weakness to anyone, but he had to know. One day when they were hunting, he finally questioned Irina about what was happening.

"You should ask Demetri," was all the answer Artemis could get. It was strange how frightened Irina seemed all the time. By all accounts, she should feel at ease for having done precisely what the Volturi wanted her to do.

It had taken some time to get the answer from Demetri. He had even had to use the crudest type of bargain (helping the other vampire with his astounding brainpower in some stupid task he'd rather forget, but couldn't, annoying vampire memory). When he finally got what he wanted, he wasn't sure he was quite satisfied with the result.

There was a vampire in the Volturi coven, Chelsea, who could tighten or break bonds between people. Apparently, she was attaching Artemis to the Volturi.

He was indignant at first; for people that liked to pretend they were polite and tolerant, it was a remarkably rude thing to do. Though, after a few minutes of reflection, it became obvious how completely expected a move it was. Aro truly was a slippery character.

Somehow, however, Artemis' feelings towards Holly, however undefined, were helping him resist against Chelsea. In an attempt to ward off her influence, he thought about Holly as much as he could. With his new vampire abilities, it was relatively easy to always keep a corner of his mind thinking of the elfin captain.

Unfortunately, his thoughts remembered more often than not the time when she had been younger and him older, when she had called him Arty in panic, and how, relieved that he was alive, she had …

Oh, how Aro would laugh next time he probed Artemis' thoughts.

Down in Haven, Foaly was cursing. Stupid, _stupid_ move from Holly there. There was no way she could ever escape sanctions. All of this was for nothing, really. After all, the threat that Artemis would expose them was great enough for the LEP to take care of this. Trouble Kelp was already readying his Retrieval team.

The LEP could use Holly's fine reckoning, for Frond's sake!

But no, she had to go illegally–a faster method, according to her. He understood that sometimes it took time to organize a Retrieval, after all it would have taken them two days to be operational in the John Spiro episode, but still! Now, he'd feel lucky if she had thought to bring even an unsecured communicator with her. With all the tracking technology he put into LEP equipment, he could be certain Holly would avoid it. D'Arvit!

All this for a Mud Boy. Granted, Fowl was gifted. Even Foaly sometimes admitted to himself (when he was certain that nobody was around) that the boy _might_ be smarter than him.

Still.

Foaly also had this nagging suspicion that Holly harbored feelings for the boy. He clearly remembered how hard it had been for her when they had had to wipe his memories. How touchy she had become on that particular subject since the whole time traveling episode.

Just what he needed. A lovesick and impulsive Recon officer, with no official field permit.

Was she expecting that he clean up the mess after her?

If Artemis had ever thought that vampires traveled light, he was wrong. It was a little off-putting to see how much preparation it took for the Volturi. Perhaps that came with old age. After all, Aro and his brothers were well over three thousand years old, if his calculations were exact.

Artemis' main occupations during the preparations were answering Aro's numerous organizational queries–that was the way his prodigious intelligence was being used these days, apparently–and hunting with Irina.

He had started to develop a tentative friendship with the vegetarian vampire. Of course, Irina still seemed terrified that Artemis would inform the Volturi if she ever did or said something wrong, but he was slowly managing to earn her trust.

Also, he was slowly learning to control his thirst.

It seemed he was the only one who wasn't surprised that he had a modicum of self-control. Apparently, newborns were wild for years before they managed to overcome their bloodlust. Aro said the reason Artemis was different was that his exceptional mind somehow could overcome his instincts, even this young in vampire existence.

True, he could now somewhat breathe through his mouth when they were humans were around, and Irina hadn't needed to restrain him once. Even Felix looked at him in wonder when he heard that.

Artemis, however, was incredibly frustrated that the mere thought of a pumping heart still made him salivate.

How on earth could human physiology be so appealing?

How had aboveground missions actually succeeded when the People didn't have technology? Holly often wondered as she was bounced around in a cattle truck. With her fairy powers, she had managed to calm the cows down, but it still wasn't an agreeable trip. What she wouldn't give for her wings, her ever-so-informative helmet …

At least, she had smuggled her Neutrino through.

After sneaking into the Eurotunnel to reach France, she had managed to find various means of transportation to get all the way to Italy. Her last host was an unsuspecting truck driver. She had mesmerized him into making a "sightseeing" detour in Volterra. Of all the illegal things she had done during this trip, this probably was the least of them–the People didn't care much about mesmerized Mud Men–but Holly didn't like it much. She didn't feel guilty very long though, even though the truck driver already was in a hurry, when she thought of Artemis waiting for her in Volterra–or rather, hoping she wouldn't come, if she had to be honest with herself.

Besides, if the brochures were correct, Volterra _was_ superb. Well worth the detour, as the driver would later explain his outraged boss.

"So you informed the Volturi about the Cullens' immortal child?" Artemis asked Irina on one of their hunting trips. Questioning her so straightforwardly was a testament of how more sure of himself he had become in this new environment. "Even though they were your friends?"

"Yes," she answered tensely. "You don't understand, Artemis, you are so new to this world. If anyone, if _anybody_ is somehow involved in this mess and doesn't cooperate with the Volturi, they will find out and will destroy them. No matter how fond I am of the Cullens, I had to do this."

Artemis pondered her answer, before asking boldly:

"But you aren't that fond of the Cullens, are you?"

Irina froze in her tracks, even though she had just picked up the scent of an animal.

"What makes you say that?" Her tone was carefully guarded, just like the first days of their acquaintance. Artemis tried to soother her; it wouldn't do to upset his only ally–if she could even be called that.

"The way you talk about them, and this whole situation," he replied calmly. "It seems to me like you resent them. I might be mistaken, though …"

"You aren't."

Bingo.

Irina sighed.

"What's the point in hiding it, after all? Aro knows about how I feel. He probably won't mind if his new protégé finds out. More tactical advantage, right?"

Artemis was glad for his vampire abilities. It seemed they had heightened his capacity to keep an impassive face no matter the circumstances. He needed it now–Irina had seen right through him.

"It's a long story, and one you probably wouldn't understand, seeing as you are so young, even as a human. I met another vampire, a year ago, of which I became quite fond of."

To say the truth, Artemis hadn't quite been expecting _that_.

"I will spare you the details about how wonderful he was, just know that he made me feel alive in ways that I hadn't in a _very_ long time. Anyway, that vampire was murdered by a pack of werewolves."

"Werewolves?" Artemis spluttered. Nobody had told them there were werewolves! Things were getting more complicated by the minute. Not only would he have to deal with the Volturi, but he shouldn't forget that somewhere out there were creatures that wished nothing more than to rip him to pieces, if human legends were accurate.

"Yes, _werewolves_," Irina spat out. "The Cullens had made a treaty with that pack of scum and refused to let us destroy them to avenge Laurent. They even allied themselves with those disgusting creatures!"

Well, if one could ally oneself with werewolves, there was hope after all.

"And then," Irina continued, "when I was coming to them to try and repair our friendship, despite everything, I saw their newborn playing with one of the werewolves and a child!"

"The immortal child?"

"Yes."

Artemis didn't know what to say. The situation seemed quite hopeless for that particular coven. Befriending werewolves and creating an immortal child. The Volturi would make _mincemeat_ out of them.

And they would probably ask him to take part in the slaughter. Artemis shivered. He didn't want to think about that. No matter how sorry he felt for the Cullens–and for himself, given that he was only interested in them because of their diet–he had other problems at hand. Namely, escaping the Volturi, saving the Fairy World and incidentally one Captain Holly Short.

The same Holly Short was now stealthily creeping out of the truck, as invisible as she could. Her old LEP uniform from the academy wasn't quite up to par with the current shielding technology. Holly recalled the first time she had used her Section Eight uniform, and managed to creep on Artemis Fowl and Butler. This suit didn't compare; she would shimmer like crazy.

Oh, well. After all, she had always claimed she liked things old-fashioned, hadn't she?

It was still broad daylight, which didn't sit well with fairies, no matter how renegade they were. She didn't want to think about what would happened if she was discovered, and hoped her shimmering wouldn't get noticed. In the middle of winter, it wasn't quite hot enough, even in Italy, for it to be mistaken for heat haze. She had to look for a place to hide.

A little corner in the shade where she could observe the main piazza was easily found. Now, she would observe and wait for the sun to go down. Then, she would find Artemis, and then …

She had no idea what she would do then.

Everything was ready. Aro, in his love of theatrics, had decided the Volturi coven would leave Volterra at midnight. It had barely been beyond Artemis' forces to refrain from rolling his eyes when he heard that decision.

In any case, it was still more prudent to depart at night. Sparkling really wasn't the best attribute for stealth.

Aro, feeling generous, had let some vampires to run along the convoy instead of driving in the cars, and Artemis was part of them. The Volturi chief had believed it would be best for Artemis to be exposed to as many scents as he could before the trip across the Atlantic, to increase his knowledge and his already impressive self-control. Artemis knowing that Holly's fate depended ultimately on his good behavior, wasn't planning on doing anything foolish.

Marching with him were Felix, Demetri, and a few other vampires. Luckily, the devil twins as Artemis liked to call them, Jane and Alec, were not interested in running with them. One less thing to worry about. Jane really gave him the creeps, which he heartily resented. That was his job, not hers.

Irina was also instructed to come with them, so she could keep an eye on Artemis. Felix and Demetri, however, were probably keeping an eye on Artemis and Irina. The golden-eyed vampire may have given vital information to the Volturi, it was clear she wasn't considered a part of them at all.

The main piazza was stunning in the moonlight. With his vampire eye, he could see every minuscule detail even in the dark. How the golden stones of the walls gleamed, complemented by the gentle brown-red of the roofs, and …

Holly.

There, spying on them in a corner, shielded from human eyes, was Captain Holly Short. The uniform didn't look official at all, but it was her, no doubt. She had spotted him, and was frantically looking around, trying to find a way to help him escape.

_Don't move_, he thought with all his might. If even the slightest sound or scent was felt by the other vampires, she would be done for.

They hadn't noticed anything, Artemis ascertained quickly. Then, closing the eyelid in front of his fairy eye, he looked at Holly's hideout.

No one was there.

He opened his eye again, and she shimmered back into sight. It took everything Artemis had not to sigh in relief. Vampires couldn't see shielded fairies.

But she had come.

He had told, no begged her not to, and she had come anyway. How was he supposed to protect her if she threw herself headfirst into dangerous situations? This was already so complicated …

Aro would know about it, Artemis realized in panic. Of course Aro would check Artemis' mind and would learn about the encounter, about the People's only advantage over vampires. Artemis had to do something.

He would be in so much trouble for this, it was better not to think about the consequences. At least, nobody would make fun of his singing voice now.

He started humming under his breath an old lullaby his mother had sung

to him when he was small. All the vampires started and looked at him strangely, but Artemis continued on, a little louder.

Felix snorted.

"You see, Demetri, he got over being a vampire as fast as anyone!"

The melody had words to it, but Artemis changed them freely. Into Gnommish.

"The vampires know about you. One of them has access to all my memories. They will be coming after you. Please don't follow me; too dangerous. Change everything."

"What is _that_?" Felix asked, amused.

"It's just an old Irish lullaby," Artemis replied, nonplussed, before continuing to hum.

"Well, it's not a very pretty language," Demetri remarked disdainfully. Artemis did his best to hide his smile. On the other side of the piazza, Holly hadn't been able to help huffing indignantly.

"We should start running now," another vampire pointed out. "Otherwise Aro will be impatient."

More vampires echoed the sentiment and the whole group broke into a run. Artemis didn't look back to see if Holly had heard or understood his message. He hoped she had.

"Foaly? Foaly?"

"Who is this?" answered the Centaur on the other line, probably already doing a scan of all the communicators on the planet to localize her.

"It's Holly. Foaly, I–"

"Holly? Holly, you crazy elf, do you realize what you've done? You'll be sacked from the LEP, and that's probably the best case scenario. Do you have any idea of how dan–"

"I know, Foaly, stop the lecture!" Holly snapped. "This is important …"

"Oh, because what I was telling you wasn't important, was it?" he complained.

"Listen to me, Foaly, I don't have much time. Can you secure the line?"

"I'm working on it as we speak, what do you think?"

"Right. I found who I was looking for. He is …" Holly pause, it was so difficult to admit. "… like the others he was talking about in the message I showed you. He and a whole group are going out of town, and apparently their chief "Aro" too. I don't have any visuals of what the vamp–"

"The line is still not secure, captain, wait a second," Foaly interrupted. Holly waited a few instants. "There. All set. You wouldn't imagine how complicated that was to do. Fowl would have loved this."

"Yes, yes," Holly said impatiently. "I don't have any visuals of the vampires–no helmet–"

"And whose fault is that?"

"–but I saw some of them going on foot and some others using cars after Artemis passed. By the way, I planted a tracer–code 18A43#–on one of the cars. Hopefully they're all going the same direction and we'll be able to track them."

"Good job. I'm on it right now."

"Artemis spotted me, but not the other vampires. I'm hoping that's because I was shielded and Artemis' fairy eye is the only reason he saw me."

"Let's hope. I can't believe he's a vampire now. That can't be good."

"He spoke to me."

"What?" Foaly exclaimed. "In the middle of a group of vampires?"

"He was singing a lullaby in Gnommish. If we ever get out of this, I will tease him about it until the end of his days. Anyway, he said that one of the vampires had access to all of his memories, so they know of our existence and will come after us. He also advises us to "change everything," and that's a quote."

"D'Arvit."

"You can say that again." Holly didn't mention Artemis' warning. She was too far gone anyway. Who was he to think she would abandon him?

"Listen, Holly, I've called Trouble. After all the information you managed to get for us, I think you'll still be on for Recon on this mission. If you can manage to get to either Florence or Sienna nearby, you'll be able to find stashes of LEP equipment."

"Perfect."

Things were looking much better than she would have imagined, even hours ago. Foaly believed she wouldn't be sacked from the LEP, and even that she would still work on this mission.

She realized guiltily that it was only because she had been the bearer of bad news. Why was she feeling relieved when she had just discovered that bloodthirsty creatures would soon be after the fairies?

At least, she would be able to follow closely what would happen to Artemis. How could he _ever_ think she would abandon him?

"I am … most displeased," Aro said. It was one of the rare occasions where he wasn't his usual bubbly self, and Artemis was going to be his victim. What would he do? Kill him? Torture him? Worst of all, kill _Holly_?

"I won't kill your precious captain, Artemis," Aro commented when he reached for Artemis' hand again. "You should know however, that she is very, _very_ close to suffering a terrible fate."

"No!" Artemis couldn't help but utter. Aro's smile was predatory.

"What else will keep you in line, boy? If you ever, _ever_ do anything to contradict me and my plans, you can be certain I will hunt her down, no matter where she hides, and tear her apart while you watch. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, master," Artemis answered, defeated.

"Now, I am very sorry to say, but it is time for your punishment. Jane is on her way as we speak. Believe me, Artemis, by the middle of it, you will be begging to be human again so you can die."

**I hope you all enjoyed it. Please don't hesitate to leave me a review!**


	5. Chapter 5: Travel

**Summary:** The Volturi hear about Artemis Fowl's prodigious intelligence and decide to turn him into a vampire and make him join the guard. Artemis must not only protect the People from the Volturi's greediness, but there's also the matter of punitive expedition concerning the Cullens. Post TTP and during Breaking Dawn. A/H, canon Twilight couples.

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A.N.:** Sorry for the long wait–it took me some time to edit this and then I had trouble uploading the chapter. This story will be short–it is almost more than half finished. I hope you enjoy it and have a nice week!

_"What else will keep you in line, boy? If you ever, __ever__ do anything to contradict me and my plans, you can be certain I will hunt her down, no matter where she hides, and tear her apart while you watch. Do I make myself clear?"_

_"Yes, master," Artemis answered, defeated._

_"Now, I am very sorry to say, but it is time for your punishment. Jane is on her way as we speak. Believe me, Artemis, by the middle of it, you will be begging to be human again so you can die."_

**Chapter 5: Travel**

One perk about being a vampire was that even after the most horrendous torture session, your muscles didn't ache. If Artemis had still been human, he wouldn't have to be able to move for days after that. Or, in all probability, his heart would have given away halfway through.

Ahh, to be a vampire.

They were currently traveling in the south of France–the Italian border had been passed long ago. Each day, they would stop during the day to hunt. Felix had explained that feeding so often would make them stronger in prevision of the battle that was coming.

Artemis was dreading the days they spent hiding in cities, with all the human scents around and no way to quench his thirst on animals. It took immense concentration and self-abnegation not to jump at the throats of humans passing too close. He could now try to breathe in their presence, but he also often needed to hold his breath to avoid temptation, which frustrated him immensely when he saw how his friend seemed unaffected.

Irina didn't seem troubled by it.

"It's just practice," she'd explain with a little laugh. "I have had a lot of years to get used to it, and I certainly didn't have your self-control at the same age. You are doing very well, Artemis."

The rest of the time, Irina didn't talk much to him, and after the news that he had done something to displease Aro had started to spread, neither did the rest of the vampires.

Well, who was he to complain? They were beneath him, weren't they?

_At last_, Holly thought as she sifted the LEP equipment in the Florence hideout. There were wings, an LEP jumpsuit (though Holly was planning to bring her old uniform as well, in case she didn't want to be tracked), a helmet, and other little gadgets that Foaly raved about every time he got the chance.

It was reassuring however to put back on her normal uniform, and to hear Foaly in her ear the instant she put her helmet back on.

"Nice job with the detector, by the way, captain. I've managed to track those buggers all the way to France."

"France?"

"Yes, they're going towards Paris as we speak. They're driving fast, I can tell you."

"They can run fast, too," Holly commented as she added another Neutrino to her belt, just in case. "Well, if Artemis is going to France–which we aren't yet certain–he'll love it."

"If he gets the chance to visit whatever obscure art gallery he hasn't already seen, which I doubt he will."

"What news in Haven?" Holly asked finally, with a bit of apprehension.

"_Well_," Foaly started, sounding official. "I have to admit the information you gave us is certainly helping your case. You've done such a good job that I can officially tell you we're keeping you on the Recon for this mission, even though Trouble will probably send some more agents in Paris, if that's where the vampires are going.

"Great," Holly muttered. She knew her unorthodox methods wouldn't please the rest of the play-by-the-rules Recon officers.

"Yeah, I do believe Trouble will want to somehow keep an eye on you. You're somewhat of a wild card."

"At least I get things done."

"That, Holly," Foaly said, "and the fact that I do everything I can to save you, is the only reason you are still in the Police force."

He had a point there.

The large group had split sometime during the last night. It was considered more prudent–it limited the killings in one area. Already, Artemis could read headlines talking about series of murders and disappearances on their tracks in the newspapers he had managed to steal. That was another definite perk about being a vampires: how amazingly easy it was for him to steal–if he ever escaped the Volturi, his new state would prove to be an extremely valuable asset.

"The plan is to meet in Roissy, where we have private jet waiting for us," Demetri explained. He seemed to be the only one who forgave Artemis his misstep enough to talk to him, or maybe it was only Aro who had ordered him to instruct Artemis on the procedure. "We'll take it to New York and then separate again. We'll all meet in Seattle and make the last stretch together. By that time, everybody should have fed enough to avoid any killings in the area. There already was trouble last year, it would do no good to add to the suspicion."

Artemis nodded meekly. It made no doubt in his mind that he would be in Aro's group–someone had to monitor him, after all.

He just hoped Holly had listened to him. He tried to convince himself that she had listened to him for the next time Aro probed his mind. If Aro found out Artemis believed Holly was following them, he would be on the lookout for the elfin captain. However, if she had disregarded what he had said the first time, there _was_ a chance she would do exactly the same the second…

Oh, how he hoped she had been listening.

No matter how desperate the circumstances, there always was a silver lining. The People were about to be exposed by ruthless and bloodthirsty creatures, Artemis was their prisoner, but Holly was flying.

She had gotten the permission to go the land route, and that was a rare feat. However, in cases of emergency, Trouble Kelp wasn't known for being a rule-enforcing bureaucrat.

As she flew over the Alps, Holly remembered that the last time she had taken this particular trip; she had flown straight into a trap laid by a twelve year-old Artemis Fowl. Now she was going back to save him. How things had changed.

It was impossible to deny, really. She had seen his face again–more beautiful than she had ever seen it–and spotted the fraction of second when he had looked at her with terrified eyes. And that instant, she had known, as surely as she knew he was afraid for her and not for himself, that she was in love with him.

She had fallen in love with a Mud Boy, and now she was in love with a vampire.

Her life was never boring, was it?

"Are you alright, Irina?" Artemis asked concernedly when he saw her sitting despondently under a tree.

"I miss my sisters," she whispered, in a rare moment of unguardedness.

That was a new development.

"You have sisters?"

Irina laughed bitterly.

"Yes, two of them. Their names are Tanya and Kate. We've been together for centuries; it's hard for us to be apart."

"Do they know about the Cullens' problem?" Artemis couldn't help but ask. Didn't she once say that if someone was involved with an immortal child and didn't cooperate with the Volturi, they would be punished?

"I haven't told them," Irina whispered. "I hope they do not know. It was hard enough for me to denounce them, and I had a reason to be angry."

"It's never easy to betray your friends."

Irina snorted sadly.

"You're a bit young to make these kind of statements, aren't you?"

"I'm precocious."

Oh, how he hated to remember what he did to Holly. How she had trusted him, cared for him enough to … And then he had betrayed her, made her believe she had poisoned his mother when she had been innocent.

Why was Holly still trying to save him, after all he had done to her? Maybe he should have been meaner, made her never want to come to the rescue. Artemis wasn't sure he would have managed to pull it off without Holly figuring out that it was hurting him almost as much as what he was doing to her. The elf was maybe worthless at planning, but she understood feelings so much better than him.

Had she been right, then, to kiss him?

It took only a few hours for Holly to catch up with the vampires in the car she had traced. To her disappointment, Artemis wasn't part of that group.

"What do I do now?" she asked Foaly, surprising the centaur with the panic in her voice. "What if the two parties are totally unrelated, and Artemis isn't going to Paris at all? We'll lose him, and we have no idea how to ever find him again!"

"Calm down, Holly," he answered. "I know this is difficult, but we don't have any other lead. We have nothing to localize Artemis, so it would be pointless for you to go looking for him. Just follow these guys and try to find out as much as you can."

"Alright," Holly whispered back, trying to sound determined.

"And Holly …"

"Yes, Foaly?"

"Be careful out there. These creatures probably have heightened senses. Don't get too close, and make sure you don't get caught."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Everybody arrived safely in Roissy, where they managed to get into a private jet without attracting attention.

"Who owns the plane?" Artemis asked Demetri, curiosity overcoming his aversion for his companions. He didn't doubt the Volturi's wealth, but he wondered at their interactions with humans. Gianna had known about vampires, and she had died. Were they people all over the world aware of their secret, or did the Volturi manage to fool everyone?

"That would be a millionaire known by the name of Marc Voltoure," Demetri answered with a smirk.

"Marcus?" asked Artemis, astounded.

"The very same," confirmed Demetri as he sat down at his seat. He mention the spot next to him, and Artemis warily took place. "Though the whole coven controls the account really. We just needed a cover name."

"Why go for such an obvious name? Don't you want to keep your existence secret?"

"Only from the humans," Demetri answered with a predatory smile. "We don't mind so much if the other vampires know how far reaching our connexions are."

"With all these preparations, don't you think the Cullens will have found out about our expedition? If they are harboring an immortal child, they are probably on the lookout for any reaction on our side."

Demetri chuckled.

"Even if they weren't on the lookout, they would know we were coming. One of them can see the future. They know we're coming."

If Artemis had still been human, he would have paled. This was going to be even more dangerous than what he had anticipated. He was worthless at combat. What was the point of turning him into a vampire if he was going to get destroyed immediately after?

"One of them can see the future?" he repeated.

"They are a very powerful coven. The one called Alice can see the future and Edward can read minds, a little like Aro."

Artemis winced.

"Though he only hears what you are thinking at the moment, he can do so without any contact. Then, they have Jasper, who can manipulate people's moods. The other four don't have blatant powers like those three, but they are still powerful. Besides, they have a new addition to their coven: Edward's wife, Bella. We don't know what her powers exactly are, but she was impervious to Aro, Jane and Edward's powers in her human form, which you might guess is exceptional. We suspect she also resists Alec's, but we can't know for sure."

"Will her powers have developed with the change?" Artemis asked with a strangled voice.

"It would be foolish not to think so."

"We won't all make it back," Artemis pointed out calmly. Numerous extremely situations had forced him to stay analytical in situations like this. Which didn't mean he liked it one bit.

"Probably not," Demetri agreed, untroubled.

It seemed to Artemis that Chelsea had done a very good job on that particular vampire, at the very least. She still had work to do before he ran headfirst to his certain demise, though.

Holly almost missed the vampires on their flight out of the country. Though she didn't manage to follow them on their private jet–that would have been foolish in any case–she did discover their destination and snuck into the next plane headed for the same airport. Luckily, it was only a few minutes after the first.

"Foaly, I need you to track that jet, and tell me the instant it's landed where it's parked and where it's inhabitants have gone."

"Sure, sure," answered a slightly frazzled Foaly. "By the way, I'm rebuilding the security system from scratch–not an easy feat by the way. It probably won't be as powerful as the previous, so be extra careful. It's only advantage is that Artemis and the vampires know nothing of it. Number One and Qwan are even helping me to code it in some ancient warlock language to throw them off."

"Great," Holly answered absently, as she tried to find a hiding place in the luggage compartment. Already the cold was starting to hurt her. She didn't how she was going to survive the six hour flight to New York. "Foaly, please tell me this suit has some kind of heating system, otherwise I think you should find yourself another Recon officer."

"Oh ye of little faith," Foaly chuckled in her helmet. "You know I think of everything."

"I hope you do."

She wasn't only talking about her suit's heating system.

The rest of the flight was silent. It suited Artemis perfectly. If he could just _think_, find a compromise that would save Holly without losing her respect for ever … He still didn't know what he would chose if he couldn't find a way out: help the Volturi to save Holly or do what she would have wanted him to do–and let her die.

He let out a frustrated sigh. He was Artemis Fowl the second, and he was being manipulated like some low class pawn. Artemis Fowl was never a pawn!

He knew enough about the Volturi to understand a few things about the situation at hand with the Cullens. It wasn't really punishment that interested them in the Cullen's case, but acquisition. Demetri had given him more information than Artemis needed.

It had come to him suddenly. Even Demetri wasn't aware of the grand plan. However, he had talked of the Cullen's powers with the same admiration that Aro probably had, and Artemis knew enough about people like Aro–he quite resembled him himself in the finer points–to know exactly why the Volturi were so determined to fight the Cullen coven.

Aro would love to have more powerful vampires to add to his already impressive collection–especially Alice, the one who could see the future. Demetri had also talked about the newest Cullen, Bella with enough enthusiasm to show the interest the Volturi had in her. The Volturi had wondered, even before she was turned, what powers she would gain.

Artemis wished he had this Bella's powers. Not so much to escape Jane–he amazed himself with his selflessness sometimes–but just to keep his thoughts to himself. If he could have kept the People from being discovered …

"Artemis," a beautiful vampire that he had come to know as Heidi called. "Aro wants to speak to you."

What now?

"Of course, Heidi," Artemis answered dutifully as he got up. Silently, he made his way to the front of the plane, where the Volturi brothers–and their ever-present bodyguards–were staying.

"You asked for me, master?"

It hurt Artemis to call Aro that, but it was better than another torture session with Jane. Vicious witch.

If he hadn't been a vampire, he wouldn't have noticed Marcus' hand ghosting by Aro's. He narrowed his eyes. He was aware of Marcus' power: to sense everybody's relationships and allegiances. Other than that, he was apathetic. What had changed since last time he saw the old vampire … was that he knew the Volturi's real goal concerning the Cullens. Had that changed his allegiances so much Marcus would notice it? Since when did he care for a coven he knew nothing about, when so many people he cared for were in danger?

Aro's eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, before his face went back to his congenial mask and he held out his hand. Obedient, Artemis put his on top. Aro chuckled.

"You may be foolish sometimes, but it is undeniable that you are smart. Not even the ones who have stayed with us the longest have figured that out, and it took you a mere week." Aro glanced at the bodyguards assembled before looking back at Artemis. "I would rather prefer if you kept your discoveries to yourself or my brothers and I."

"Of course, _master_."

If the others were idiots enough not to realize they were _all_ an acquisition to the Volturi brothers, why would he bother to tell them otherwise? Besides, Chelsea had done her job too well: they probably wouldn't even mind if they knew.

"Marcus tells me," Aro continued, "that your desire to stay with us has weakened."

"It was never strong to begin with," Artemis pointed out.

The advantage of speaking with someone who could read minds, was that they weren't offended when spoken frankly. Aro laughed.

"I still believe we have a rather convincing argument on our side, though, don't we?"

Artemis tried not to clench his fists. It was an epic fail.

"By the way," Aro continued, "do you think she listened to you when you spoke to her?"

_No_. No, no, Aro couldn't have picked up that. If the vampires were on the lookout for Holly, she would be caught sooner or later, and then …

"I hope she did."

"I, quite frankly, don't," Aro answered. His smile was pleasant but Artemis had to contain his shiver. "You have no idea how much I _long_ to meet captain Short."

Holly was going to die, she was certain of it. She could barely hear Foaly coaching her through her earpiece. It was so cold; her suit's heating system wasn't helping much. Fairies had a very low tolerance for cold, and it was a known fact that even humans had died freezing in the luggage compartment.

"Holly? Holly, for Frond's sake, answer me!" Foaly yelled on the other end.

"What?" Holly answered sleepily. Fairies might hate cold, but it wasn't that much of an unpleasant way to die. You just fell asleep.

"Holly, you have to stay awake, otherwise you'll freeze to death. Do you understand?"

"Yeah …"

In Haven, Foaly wasn't very reassured by that answer. "Yeah" wasn't usually part of captain Short's vocabulary. He had to find some way to keep her awake; there were still three hours to go.

"Holly, don't make me get Trouble Kelp. You _have_ to stay awake."

Trouble's mention seemed to get a reaction out of Holly, because she was much clearer when she answered:

"Alright, I'll stay awake. Thanks again for keeping me awake, Foaly. Artemis owes me–us–big."

"He already did," Foaly pointed out distractedly. "I'm going to have to get someone else to talk you through this, Holly, because I have a meeting with other fairy inventors to try to find a way to protect all our accesses to the surface from vampires."

"Sounds like fun."

Foaly snorted.

"With absolutely no information about said vampires, that's the last word I would qualify our meeting. By the end of it, if we manage to find some shield, we won't even know if it will work until it's tested by the real thing."

"Reassuring, to say the least." Holly held back a huge yawn.

"Say, Holly, how was your time working with Mulch Diggums?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well," Foaly explained. "I was thinking of him to take care of you for the rest of the trip. Did you find his conversation agreeable?"

"Do _you_?" Holly answered with a laugh.

"Well, I'm out of options anyway, so it'll be Mulch."

The sound of Mulch Diggum's loud complaining could already be heard through the intercom.

It was snowing in New York when the plane landed, to the great delight of all the vampires. Not only did they not mind the cold, but the bleak weather was always better when one had to show oneself in public.

The Volturi brothers had already decided who would go in each group. There would be three of them, instructed to convince other vampires they would meet along the way to come as "witnesses." Of course, Artemis was with Aro.

Also in his group were Caius and Aro's wife, their bodyguards, as well as Jane and Alec. Artemis was worried, because for the first time, he wouldn't be with Irina. He hoped the Volturi would still let him hunt animals.

The walk through the airport was agony. Volterra had been nothing, nothing at all. How could a small Tuscany town compare with the mass of hundreds of human bodies pushing each other, of their hearts pumping in an immense symphony? Artemis didn't even try to breathe in.

In a surprising movement, Aro's impassive wife, Sulpicia, put her arm gracefully around his shoulder and held him close to her.

She could pass as his mother–strikingly beautiful and young, but nothing too shocking. The only thing missing was a hint of some kind of positive feeling towards him. Her tone was formal when she spoke to him.

"Concentrate on your goal–the doors over there. I'll hold you if you lose control."

Artemis nodded. He knew if he wanted to be polite, he should answer her properly, but he certainly wasn't going to risk opening his mouth in such a place.

He hoped there would be no human driver in the cars that would take them out of New York.

Mulch's conversation had been as refined as expected, but it had kept her awake in the freezing cold. Well, Holly had learned something relatively useful: Mulch told her that Foaly had managed to trace the owner of the private jet the vampires had taken to New York.

"Marc Voltoure, apparently," he had told her.

"Have you ever heard of him?" Holly asked. Mulch's underground connexions were notorious. Some were even literally _above_ ground, a rare feat for the reclusive fairies.

"The name came up once or twice in a conversation. I didn't really dig any deeper–that's a metaphor, for your information–because he was reputed to be an absolutely ruthless business partner, but he never seemed interested in anything remotely _adventurous_."

Holly had to laugh at the understatement. Mulch was known for his high profile crimes, like stealing oscar statues to world-famous actresses. She could understand that someone related to vampires would probably not want that much attention. For Frond's sake, even the People did not usually want that much attention!

"Nothing ever made you think he wasn't purely a Mud Man?"

"Hey!" Mulch protested. "We don't even know if he isn't a Mud Man. We just know it's his jet the vampires used to travel. It might not mean much."

"I h-hope not," Holly remarked, with a great shiver. "We need every lead we have."

"Well, in any case," Mulch said, "Foaly has already programmed the security cameras in JFK to surveil the vampires the instant they set foot off the plane. Hopefully that'll give you enough time to catch up with them."

"Hopefully."

The taxi driver in Artemis' car was dealt with the second every vampire had sat down. He didn't have time to yell. The three other vampires wasted no time to drain him of every drop of blood in his body. Artemis closed his eyes and refused to breathe. If he lost control once–and flowing blood was bound to do exactly that– it would be that much harder to go back to drinking from animals, Irina had told him.

To his left was Sulpicia, and to his right the driver's body. Driving was Aro's bodyguard, Renata, while Aro himself was driving shotgun. The only one wearing a seatbelt was the driver, his face resting against the window, as if sleeping. Artemis had almost put his on, before catching Renata's amused glance.

"Artemis," Aro said softly. "Open your eyes and breathe in. You won't have anything to drink, but the human's scent is still more potent than if he were unwounded and living. Try to resist the smell."

Reluctantly, Artemis obeyed. The scent of blood assaulted his senses immediately, but it wasn't anywhere near as overwhelming as Gianna's pulsing blood. He took three painful deep breaths, as thirst burned his throat. He needed to hunt soon.

Holly shot out of the airplane the instant it opened–under the protection of her shield. She would have to find a place to complete the ritual fast; the plane ride had exhausted her. Foaly was on the other line again, and she was delighted to learn she was only ten minutes behind the vampires. Foaly also had other good news for her.

"I caught Artemis on camera–it seems some of the myths about vampires don't apply. He's with the group that came out of the jet." Then the news wasn't too good. "There's a lot of them, Holly. A lot. You'll have to be very careful."

"Where are they now?" she asked, flying over the airport towards it's exit.

"In customs. Our little friends also seem to be very good at faking passports, which is hardly surprising when you come to think of it. They've probably been in existence since the things have been invented, so it shouldn't be too difficult for them to counterfeit."

"Speaking of security," Holly said, more than a little willing to avoid Foaly's sarcasm and lectures after such a tiring ride, "did you find a foolproof way to protect the chutes?"

"You can be a true ray of sunshine sometimes, Holly," Foaly answered grumpily.

"It's snowing here."

"Oh, ha ha." She heard Foaly's sigh. Well, she couldn't say she was that surprised. "We were thinking of using the Book as an access pass."

"What happens to those who don't have the Book and try to pass anyway?" Holly asked.

"Well, we're still working on that," Foaly answered concernedly. "You see, I'm not quite sure a Bio Bomb would work very well on the undead."

"You have a point there," Holly conceded. But then, what weapon did they have?

"We're trying to see if we can use fire as a shield. You know, these vampires don't seem to mind the sunlight, but there still is a chance that their bodies won't resist fire–we'll there aren't many moving things on this planet the size of a human who would, come to think of it."

"This is becoming absolutely gruesome, Foaly," Holly interrupted pleasantly. "Are they out of customs yet?"

"Yep, they're moving towards the exit. Be prepared to fire the tracers the instant they take a car. Just stay out of reach."

"Yes, daddy." Foaly snorted. "By the way, assuming you keep this "Book-as-passport" solution, don't you remember Artemis managed to get a copy of one from a fairy?"

"I know," he answered. "I just don't see any other solution for the while. It's in a case like these that we need Artemis' mind."

"Too bad it's working for the other side right now."

Artemis had worked against the fairies once, and the fairies had been defeated. Things definitely weren't looking good. Foaly interrupted Holly's thoughts a second later.

"They're coming out! Can you see them?"

Holly quickly scanned the exits of the airport and spotted the group of vampires walking out of the terminal. It wasn't really hard to spot them; instinctively, all the humans shied away from the vampires.

She was not prepared for the physical reaction of fear she had when she saw how important the group was. If she had been a few decades younger, she would have run and hidden right there. But Holly was the best Recon officer and stayed at her post on the airport rooftop, silently charging the gun that would propel the tracers to the cars the vampires would climb in.

But above all, she was not prepared for the way her heart started thumping harder than she ever remembered at the sight of Artemis Fowl's immaculate and tortured face.

It took her a full ten seconds for her gun to be perfectly steady.

"D'Arvit!" she swore, echoed thousands of kilometers from there by Foaly in the command booth. "Taxis."

"Fire any way. The tracers you picked up have cameras. We might be able to find a little bit more."

The tracers were little marvel of technology, if Foaly said so himself. Not only did they have microscopic cameras, but their size was so tiny that if shot correctly, they could be the completely camouflaged behind the radio antenna. They even had a cushioning system to make the impact almost completely silent.

Thanks to the sound of the engine, even the vampires didn't hear the tracers hitting–precisely on target–each taxi cab. After all, Holly _was_ a superb shot.

**A.N.: Please don't forget to review!**


	6. Chapter 6: America

**Summary:** The Volturi hear about Artemis Fowl's prodigious intelligence and decide to turn him into a vampire and make him join the guard. Artemis must not only protect the People from the Volturi's greediness, but there's also the matter of punitive expedition concerning the Cullens. Post TTP and during Breaking Dawn. A/H, canon Twilight couples.

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A.N.:** After a pretty hectic week (classes starting again, doing the night shift Monday and Thursday), here's the next chapter. Thanks for your reviews (and Wool, whoever you are, I'm sorry you think the story drags. I had to add a chapter because I had too many things happening, but then I had to add some stuff to make the chapter lengths somewhat the same. I guess that's where the problem is. If you have an account on FF, would you mind PMing me to tell me where you thought it was dragging too much?)

_The tracers were little marvel of technology, if Foaly said so himself. Not only did they have microscopic cameras, but their size was so tiny that if shot correctly, they could be the completely camouflaged behind the radio antenna. They even had a cushioning system to make the impact almost completely silent._

_Thanks to the sound of the engine, even the vampires didn't hear the tracers hitting–precisely on target–each taxi cab. After all, Holly __was__ a superb shot._

**Chapter 6: America**

The thing with vampires is that they had so much time on their hands that they didn't talk nearly as much as poor humans who had to fit all their conversations in eighty short years. In consequence, the taxi ride was completely silent.

It didn't bother Artemis much. After, he didn't feel like he held much in common with the other people in the car, save the fact that they belonged to the same species. That wasn't quite enough for them to develop a kinship.

However, even in the silence, the bond between Aro in Sulpicia was palpable to Artemis. He had never witnessed anything quite like it. Of course, his own parents loved each other and weren't shy about it, but he doubted it would be so visible after three thousand years. Did being a vampire also develop feelings of love and attachment?

"We will stop to hunt in place close to wildlife for you, Artemis," Aro informed him once they had left New York.

"Thank you, master," he responded weakly, wondering who would accompany him now. They wouldn't let a newborn on his own–even less one who openly expressed his rebellious thoughts.

Sulpicia looked at him with mild curiosity.

"Have you never tasted human blood, boy?"

"Once," he answered tensely. "The first day." His fists were tight; not only was he trying to control his remorse and anger in remembrance of that particular event, but also his thirst. She had tasted _so_ good in comparison to animals. So much more satisfying …

"And you never wanted to do it again?"

Aro laughed affectingly at her puzzled tone.

"It goes against my moral principles, ma'am," Artemis answered. "I don't have many, so I try to respect the few I do believe in."

"But those are human morals!"

Sulpicia hadn't raised her voice, but her incomprehension was written plainly on her beautiful face. She looked up at her husband, who smiled almost tenderly back at her, though his filmy eyes didn't help much at conveying the sentiment, in Artemis' opinion.

"Artemis has prided himself on the fact that he wasn't a murderer. I believe he intends to try staying as "innocent" as he can."

Renata at the wheel made a small disbelieving noise. Aro laughed exuberantly.

"My dear, he's doing so well! It wouldn't surprise me at all if he achieved to control himself almost as well as Carlisle."

The laughter died on his face as he mentioned of the leader of the Cullen clan. Apparently, it wasn't a happy thought to plan the execution of someone you once called a friend.

If somebody as ruthless as Aro could feel sad at his friend's execution, how could Artemis ever bear the murder of his friends?

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Holly Short had been joined by other fairies from Atlantis, who were closer to the United States than Haven. Each was assigned a car to follow in case they separated–Holly reserved herself the car with Artemis.

It was a wise decision: right after they left New York, the cars divided into three groups. Artemis' went north.

"Perfect," Holly exclaimed through gritted teeth. "I didn't think I had gotten cold enough." The two other fairies who followed the taxis with her grunted in approval.

On the other line, she heard Trouble Kelp entering Foaly's command booth.

"Captain Short?" he asked in his usual formal tone. Holly rolled her eyes, while the other fairies looked at her strangely.

"Yes, Commander?"

"It's good to hear you through official channels, captain. I was growing worried that I would have to suspend you."

"Oh, you wouldn't," Holly answered mockingly as she kept following Artemis' car from above.

Trouble's laugh wasn't very reassured.

"You know if the Council puts it's nose into this, I wouldn't have much power to stop their decision from taking effect."

"I was aware of the possible consequences, Commander," Holly said seriously. "I would have faced them."

"He's a Mud Boy, Holly!" Trouble said, worry and disbelief plain in his voice.

"Not anymore, Trouble."

"It's not exactly helping his case," he pointed out, and Holly couldn't find anything to say to that.

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They stayed close to the coast after reaching Boston and turning north. The moment the last house disappeared behind them, Renata started inspecting the coastline attentively.

"There," she said after a while, as she parked the car next to a cliff overseeing the ocean. Gracefully, she got out of the car to inspect the water, several hundred meters below.

"It's perfect," she told Aro as she came back to the car. "It will dive straight into the water."

"Do you know how deep it is?" he asked.

"I'm not quite sure," she answered, "but probably a good hundred meters. That should be enough."

Aro nodded, before looking joyfully at Artemis.

"Everybody out!"

Artemis looked apprehensively at the taxi driver, already guessing what his fate would be. His family would never know what had become of him. The wedding band on his left hand would be the last thing to dissolve in the Atlantic ocean.

Renata carried the driver to the front seat, where she attached his seatbelt, before positioning the car in front of the cliff–a seemingly effortless move that surprised the week-old Artemis, who hadn't had much time to explore his new strength. She opened all the windows, turned the engine on, and then, faster than any human could have, planted the dead driver's foot strongly on the accelerator before closing the door.

The car soared through the air before diving down and shattering the waves below.

"Your newborn doesn't look too good," Sulpicia told Aro dispassionately.

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"Well, there goes your tracer, Foaly," Holly said after a good minute of disbelieving silence. She had known the instant the taxi driver had been taken out of the car that he was already dead, but it still was one of the most shocking things the peace-loving fairy had seen. Even now, she wasn't sure she wouldn't be sick. She noticed Artemis didn't look much better than her, which reassured her: he hadn't completely lost his humanity–or decency, if Artemis Fowl ever had any.

The scariest part, however, had been to witness the female vampire's incredible strength. She had moved, almost _carried_ the taxi cab as if it weighed nothing. True, with magic, fairies could increase their strength. If it was sufficient to punch a face stronger than the best human professional boxer, they would never even dream of lifting a car.

The vampires were going to make mincemeat out of the People, if they were given the chance. Holly couldn't imagine what they could ever do to stop those creatures.

Foaly's answer came very late, also knocked out by the sight.

"The view was better from your helmet, anyway."

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"Artemis has to hunt," Aro pointed out as they walked to find Caius' and Marcus' groups–though they were faster than the fastest human sprinter. Artemis wondered how long it would take them to go to Forks, Washington by foot. How tired could a vampire get? Could they run for hours, even days?

"He can't go alone," Sulpicia pointed out. Aro laughed and she smiled, rolling her filmy eyes.

"Of course," she muttered, before frowning at Artemis. "He really is such a hassle."

"A hassle that not only has enormous talent, but has brought us new knowledge," Aro replied unconcernedly. "He was just changed at a very inconvenient time. We could not have foreseen it, however."

It took their group an hour to find Marcus' party. It was composed only of two bodyguards and Marcus himself, looking as bored as ever.

"Caius went the furthest north, master," one of the bodyguards informed Aro, who turned back to Sulpicia.

"This would be the perfect occasion for you to take young Artemis hunting. We will meet in Portland, Maine, before heading west."

"We're going through Canada?" Artemis asked. Aro simply nodded.

"Well, let's get going," Sulpicia said impatiently. She briefly and gracefully held Aro, who kissed her lightly, before turning to Artemis and taking his hand. In a flash, they had left the cliffs and were running in the forest.

"You don't want to hunt too close to humans, I guess?" Sulpicia asked with a resigned sigh.

"I would rather, if you please, ma'am," Artemis answered just as gracefully. It was exhilarating that he, who had never been athletic or particularly agile–_two left hands_, Holly had said once–could run faster than a train and still be able to speak without being out of breath.

He felt so … powerful when he was running. At moments like that, he was torn between his exhilarated state, and the knowledge that he was enjoying his new condition far two much.

Artemis was a little bit apprehensive of hunting with Sulpicia. Irina had always been patient and understanding. She had even brought him spare clothes the first time, a good idea since his shirt had been soaked in blood by the end of the expedition. Now, he would have to be clean, quick, and efficient so as not to displease the millenary-old Volturi wife.

After an hour of running–Artemis wasn't even tired–Sulpicia took Artemis' arm to stop him.

"Now, it should be safe. I believe it will be the first time you will eat a carnivore." She smiled ruefully. "It is said that they are a much more satisfying prey than what you used to hunt in Tuscany. Though of course," she added derisively, "nothing will ever sate you like human blood."

Artemis chose not to take the bait, as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Besides, it was a fact he was already familiar with.

"Thank you, ma'am."

The instant later he was running after his prey.

Sulpicia had been _so_ right! Of course, a coyote still wasn't as good as Gianna's blood–Artemis was satisfied to note that after a hunt he could now think of human blood without feeling quite so thirsty–but it was so much more appealing than the small game he had had to do with in Italy.

And he only had one tiny bloodstain on his shirt. That was definite progress. Once he had effectively camouflaged his meal, Sulpicia motioned him to get going. Just before they started running, she told him, in the kindest voice he had heard her when she addressed him:

"There is no need to call me "ma'am," Artemis. Vampires use first names. We do not let human protocol come between us."

She mentioned "human protocol" with a disgusted sneer that offended Artemis–though he was much too controlled to show it. It seemed Sulpicia couldn't be polite for more than two sentences.

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Fairies were vegetarians. The thought of killing other living creatures for their subsistence was abhorrent to them. Therefore, it was extremely hard for Holly to witness Artemis hunting. He was more an animal than she had ever seen him. He showed as much mercy for his prey than the trolls they had fought, and he was much more deadly. The poor coyote didn't stand a chance.

In a mere five minutes, it was done, and the scene had been cleared of any traces of the incident.

_It's better than eating humans_, she tried to convince herself. Yes, she wouldn't have been able to stomach seeing Artemis Fowl subjecting a Mud Man to what he had done to that coyote.

Curiously, the female vampire that was with him didn't take part of the feast, and Holly could find no explanation for that. It was another unsolved mystery about the vampires, which wasn't very reassuring. The little she had seen was scary enough. Her wings had barely held up to their speed while they ran.

Now, they were running back towards the rest of the vampires that had gone north, where the other Recon fairies were hopefully on their tails. She just hoped the two other vampires she had left on their own would do the same.

Most of all, she hoped the vampires would pause long enough for her to complete the Ritual. The two other Recon officers had been briefed in advance, and were consequently running hot, but she had spent too much magic to keep herself warm in the airplane and constantly shielded as she had followed them through Europe and New York.

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By the time Sulpicia and Artemis joined the group, new vampires were waiting with the rest of the Volturi. Artemis guessed they were the "witnesses" Aro had wished to bring with him to fight the Cullens.

The new vampires were dressed very differently than the Volturi guard. None of them wore long grey cloaks like them, instead they had put some casual clothes on. They eyed Artemis and Sulpicia warily as they came out from the woods.

"Not to worry, friends!" Aro exclaimed genially. "These are Sulpicia, my wife–" as he said that he took her hand, "–and Artemis, the newest member of my guard."

If the vampires had been wary before, they were now clearly tense. Their attention had left Sulpicia after a brief salute to focus on Artemis.

"As I said," Aro repeated, a note of warning in his voice, "not to worry. Artemis may be young, but he is extremely controlled. I do not believe he has lost his temper once."

Well, of course not, Artemis thought indignantly. Fowls _never_ lost their temper.

A dark haired female advanced hesitantly towards Artemis and nodded at him.

"Hello Artemis, I am Emily."

"Delighted, ma'am," he answered back in his most aristocratic tone. Emily smiled, and the other vampires relaxed.

"It's just Emily. You seem very young–" she turned towards Aro curiously, before looking back at Artemis, "–for someone to be turned."

Aro laughed, but it didn't seem as joyful as usual.

"It turned out little Artemis has lived a little less than what his birth date seemed to indicate."

Artemis winced. It was always painful to remember the three years he had lost during his adventures in the time spell. He had worried his family so much, and worst of all, he had missed his mother's pregnancy and the birth of Beckett and Miles. On the other hand, he was quite certain he would never see them again, so maybe it wasn't something he should get worked up about.

Emily didn't ask any more questions, probably aware that Aro didn't want to go into more details. The two other vampires, a male and another female, quickly introduced themselves as Abraham and Catherine.

"Let's go, shall we?" Caius asked impatiently. The three new vampires looked at him worriedly. It wasn't very hard for Artemis to tell how powerful and feared by other vampires the Volturi were.

They started running.

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Holly and the two other Recon officers flew as fast as their wings could carry them to keep up with the vampires. It was obvious they were now going west, always more to the west. When the group would stop to "feed" (Holly had followed some once, she would never do it again), a fairy would stay around on the lookout, trying to learn as much as they could, while the two others went out to either get food or complete the Ritual, if needed.

It was that way Holly learned the vampire's final destination was someplace in the state of Washington. It was hard for her to hear them–the vampires apparently had excellent hearing, because they spoke very low–she had even needed to use her helmet's sound enhancer. Foaly had started organizing Retrieval teams ready to come help if the situation required it in Washington.

Despite the difficulties, Holly lived for these moments where she could really see Artemis, not his back running ahead of her. She saw as his mood lifted throughout the trip, though his worried frown never quite left him, and his dislike for most of his companions was apparent.

How she longed to be able to get closer, to talk to him, to touch him just once, to make sure he was fine …

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Artemis knew a deadly battle with an enemy coven was approaching. He knew every second brought the People closer to their doom. And yet, he had never been so happy in his vampire existence.

Running wasn't tiring, it was the most thrilling thing. Canada was a beautiful country, even better through his sharp vampire eyes. Most of all, his "meals" were so much better than in Italy. Here, even the herbivores were so enormous that their blood wasn't completely unappealing.

Too soon, however, they reached Washington. Too soon, they found the other groups, which were also enlarged by the witnesses, all of them determined to see the Cullens pay for their sins. Too soon, they were making their way to Forks, silently walking through the snowy forest to a large gleaming meadow.

Artemis had been trained for combat during this trip through America. He knew where and how to attack, though he also knew that as a newborn, he would be a very easy target, and easily taken down. Though even Caius had hinted once that he was impressed by Artemis' self-control, he still wasn't old enough to stay focused during a fight.

The forest was beautiful. Certainly, it didn't have Ireland's charm, but it was stunning nonetheless. Awed, he looked up at the trees …

… and froze in horror.

Perched up a branch and looking down at them, was Holly.

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Aro always kept close to Artemis for a reason. He knew the elfin captain would be too stubborn to abandon her friend, no matter how much he pleaded. When he saw his newborn freezing in horror, he understood immediately what was happening. He had taken the time when Artemis had been hunting to come up with a plan.

Lightly touching Artemis' hand, he spotted Holly Short in the tree nearby. Startled, Artemis wretched his hand away, but it was too late. With one look from Aro, Artemis was writhing on the ground as Jane immobilized him with a delighted smile.

Artemis' cries prevented Holly from hearing Aro giving Felix instructions. It already took everything she had to stay put and not fly to his rescue. If he had been human, he would have been light enough for her to swoop down and carry him away from harm.

Now, she watched in anguish as his tortured cries echoed through the forest, and never noticed the huge vampire who climbed silently the tree behind her. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late; Felix had already caught her.

She kicked and thrashed to try to escape his hold as he jumped down the tree, but it was useless. How had they found her? Artemis could see her, but she had thought the others were fooled by her shield. In her helmet, Foaly was screaming.

"Excellent work, Felix," what looked like the chief vampire told her captor. "Jane, release Artemis." The instant he said that, Artemis stopped screaming, but lay panting on the wet ground.

"Artemis!" Holly couldn't but exclaiming, realizing that not only her helmet would prevent anybody from hearing her, and that if they did, it would

seem like thin air was talking.

The chief vampire motioned the rest of his group to continue walking. Most of them obeyed, but some stayed around, obviously aware of their master's scheme.

"Can you see her, master?" Felix asked.

"Not yet," the vampire answered, before looking at the space between Felix's hands. "I would like to introduce myself, Captain Short, as you know none of us apart from young Artemis. I am Aro, one of the three Volturi brothers, the ruling vampires. Now, I would rather be able to see your pretty face, so would you please unshield?"

Holly only thrashed more, and Aro sighed.

"My dear, I was hoping you would be more accommodating. However, it does not really matter if you are not visible. We can still smell you and hear your moves and heartbeat, which, if I may point out, is going a little too fast now. It would just be so much nicer for us if we could see you. I believe I also have another way to convince you." He turned to the child vampire that had watched Artemis suffering with delight. "Jane here, you see, has quite amazing powers, as you have seen demonstrated on your friend. Now, if you do not want a repeat performance, I _suggest_ you unshield."

Holly became instantly visible, despite Artemis' desperate protests.

"How touching!" Aro exclaimed delightedly, before approaching Holly and taking her hand.

"No!" Artemis cried, and Demetri snarled at him. Aro frowned after a while.

"Interesting," he said. "I cannot hear her. Her smell is also quite unappealing. It does seem her species is vastly different from humans." Turning with an amused smile towards Artemis, he started: "Now, boy, please do not make a spectacle of yourself like Edward Cullen did when I tried this with Bella. Jane, would you please?"

"No!" Artemis roared, and this time he threw himself at Jane, but Demetri and Alec caught him and held him tightly. "No, no, _no_!" he continued screaming. "You can't do that, don't you _dare_!"

But Holly didn't react to Jane's power, as well as Alec's later on. Aro was not put out. On the contrary, he seemed delighted by the turn of the events.

"This is quite _fascinating_! There is so much to explore, to discover!" He sobered out quickly. "However, we have more pressing matters to deal with. I believe the Cullens are waiting for us, we should not disappoint them. Demetri, if you could take off captain Short's helmet and let Felix hand her to Sulpicia, I would be very grateful."

In a second, Holly was passed from one vampire to another. If she had hoped to escape from her new captor, she was disappointed. Just like Felix's arms, Sulpicia's were as unyielding as granite. She saw the vampire Felix keep a hand on Artemis' shoulder.

The ex-Mud Boy looked at her with a desperate expression. In Gnommish, he whispered to her:

"I told you not to follow me!"

"You thought I would abandon you?" she shot back defiantly, trying to hide her fear. Aro, leading the group, chuckled, while the other vampires only looked puzzled.

"Touching," he repeated, and Artemis snarled.

The Volturi's goal was too close now, they could already see the opening in the forest where the other vampires were waiting for them. Preoccupied as he was, Artemis still noticed Aro's greedy expression and Felix's anticipatory grin.

Artemis had to plot, and fast.

Aro would not lose any time or concentration to read his mind during their encounter with the Cullens. He would have to come up with a plan that could be used before Aro's interest refocused on him.

Easy. He had done worse.

The People were coming, that was almost a given. Holly was wearing a sparkling new LEPrecon suit, and he was betting Foaly was probably listening and filming through the helmet that Demetri had tucked under his elbow.

Demetri, walking only a few feet in front of him. Demetri, unknowingly holding the helmet so that the camera was facing him. This was too good to be true. Foaly would be more than able to lip-read him. Felix was far too occupied, trying to spot the Cullens from far away.

"Holly alive," he mouthed. "Bring reinforcements, and Number One. Battle between vampires about to happen. They will be weakened by the end of it. Come quick. Vampires destroyed by fire."

He didn't have time to say more. At the other end of the field, the Cullens were waiting for them.

**There it is. I hope you liked it, and please don't hesitate to leave a review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Meet the Cullens

**Summary:** The Volturi hear about Artemis Fowl's prodigious intelligence and decide to turn him into a vampire and make him join the guard. Artemis must not only protect the People from the Volturi's greediness, but there's also the matter of punitive expedition concerning the Cullens. Post TTP and during Breaking Dawn. A/H, canon Twilight couples.

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_"Holly alive," he mouthed. "Bring reinforcements, and Number One. Battle between vampires about to happen. They will be weakened by the end of it. Come quick. Vampires destroyed by fire."_

_He didn't have time to say more. At the other end of the field, the Cullens were waiting for them._

**A.N.: **I know I left you all with a cliff hanger last week, but I couldn't get this out faster. My week has been quite hectic, and I didn't have time to work on the story until today. The chapter is a little shorter than usual, and most of the dialogue in it is taken from Breaking Dawn. I'm hoping to be faster to update for the next one. As it will be the last chapter, it will be plenty long!

**Chapter 7: Meet the Cullens**

Only they weren't alone. The Cullens were a coven of eight, nine at best if one counted the immortal child they had created. What Artemis was an important group–he counted quickly: there were twenty-six of them. The whole Volturi group–counting Sulpicia and Athenodora, who weren't supposed to fight–were only thirty-three. They may still outnumber the Cullen's group, a fight would still be deadly.

The Volturi didn't falter once, advancing in a formation Artemis had learned during his trip, and Felix continued just as eagerly. The weight of Felix's arm on Artemis' shoulder diminished as his attention focused more on the group in front of them. Behind them, he could hear the witnesses following silently, Irina hovering hesitatingly between the guard and the witnesses.

At the opposite side of the field, Artemis could make out the Cullen clan standing in the center of the formation. He had heard their description. Blond, beautiful Carlisle and his wife Esme, huge Emmett and his own stunning wife Rosalie, Edward and Bella, with the child her arms …

No Alice and Jasper. Artemis scanned the group again, but nowhere could he find anyone fitting the description of the thin, diminutive vampire and her scarred companion. The Volturi brothers noticed it too, and their disappointment was visible. To be precise, Marcus didn't show his feelings apart from boredom, but Artemis expected this by now. At the other end of the field, the vampire Edward snarled, and turn to talk to his Bella.

_He can read my mind right now_, Artemis remembered. If he could see that Artemis didn't want to fight, maybe it would help. If he could see that he had to save Holly …

It was foolish to think as much. Edward Cullen had loved ones to save, adding two complete strangers to the lot was presumptuous.

The Volturi were still marching, going straight into battle, when movements and soft footfalls behind the other coven attracted Artemis' attention. Coming slowly of the forest, was a pack of wolves, which halted right next to the Cullens. An enormous pack of wolves. A pack of sixteen enormous wolves.

The Volturi stopped dead in their tracks. Not far, Artemis heard Holly gasp.

"Ford, I've never seen anything _like_ that!"

Artemis was betting that neither had Aro. The Volturi's chief seemed to be thinking quickly. Clearly, if he had hoped to go straight into battle earlier, it wasn't an option with the wolves anymore. Their guard was outnumbered by far. It would be foolish for them to go headfirst into battle, they would have to plan.

Artemis couldn't help his grin. Fighting, even as a vampire, had never been something he was good at. Tactical planning, on the other hand, _had_.

He saw the Cullen's leader, Carlisle, make the first move and approach the Volturi. Felix crouched defensively, but he didn't seem overly anticipative. It was a well known fact that Carlisle Cullen was a peaceful creature, and would never start the fight.

As he neared the Volturi line, he opened his arms and started talking:

"Aro, my old friend. It's been centuries."

It was obvious Felix didn't like the greeting, but he stayed unmoving, that is until Aro and Renata, his pawn, decided to break ranks. Immediately, the tense formation expressed it's disapproval and anxiety.

_Honestly_, Artemis thought, _a thing as old as Aro should be grateful for death if it came to him._ Why was everybody so anxious about him?

Aro calmed his soldiers before talking to Carlisle:

"Fair words, Carlisle. They seem out of place, considering the army you've assembled to kill me, and to kill my dear ones."

The Cullen leader denied it, and tried to explain, but Aro refused to listen. It was obvious he wanted to get as much tactical advantage as he could when he asked for Edward Cullen to come forth to testify. It was a smart move, which allowed him to have instant access to the thoughts of all those present, save his wife Bella, who had always been immune to him.

As the young vampire made his way towards the Volturi, Artemis spotted his incensed wife. No doubt, the fact that her husband was unprotected unnerved her, and he also suspected someone in the guard had goaded her somehow. Probably Jane. The diminutive monster was quite predictable, really.

A part of Artemis' mind continued to study Bella Cullen's strange attitude–her confidence seemed to inexplicably grow as Edward approached Aro, which wasn't very reassuring for Artemis. He had to remember the youngest Cullen was also an uncontrollable newborn, like him, but unlike him seemed quite determined to fight.

The greatest part of his mind, however, concentrated on the approaching Cullen. He was probably probing everybody's mind, including Artemis' own. It wasn't really a plan that came to him, more like a desperate plea, but it still was worth a shot. There wasn't much Aro could do right now, and by the time the battle was over, Artemis would probably be dead.

_Spare the fairy_, he thought as hard as he could, _she's innocent and good. She has nothing to do with this mess. Please don't kill her._

Edward Cullen didn't pause in his walk, but his eyes flickered briefly towards Artemis' face, an air of incomprehension upon his face. Artemis looked at Holly, and back at the advancing vampire, and Edward's eyes widened in wonder, before resuming his arrogant mask. He held out his hand to Aro.

Artemis hoped this would be the last Aro would get to hear his mind, even in a roundabout way–through Edward Cullen's mind. It was obvious that the Volturi chief found it greatly amusing–though also a little irritating–that Artemis had started negotiating with the enemy.

Well, Aro also knew that Artemis was anything if not practical.

The examination lasted long, even by Aro's standards. Once he was finished, Edward asked:

"You see?"

"Yes, I see, indeed," Aro answered amusedly back. "I doubt wether any two among gods or mortals have ever seen so quite so clearly."

The Volturi guard's disbelief was evident. Artemis' disbelief was quite different.

_Gods?_ _Oh, really, how megalomaniac does Aro have to be?_

An instant later, the most surprising request of all was made by Aro: he wanted to see the immortal child. The debate between Aro and Caius was usual–Caius wanting to attack straight away and Aro cautioning him, and of course, Markus looking bored. Meanwhile, Artemis spotted Holly peering curiously towards the group assembled in front of her.

"What's happening?" she whispered cautiously, looking up anxiously at Sulpicia. It was really marvelous how Artemis could still hear her when they were so far apart. It was doubtful, however, that she would make out his answered if he dared to speak to her. Felix's grip had tightened as Aro made his way towards the Cullens, alone. Renata, of course, whimpered piteously, causing Edward to offer some members of the guard to accompany Aro.

His choice stunned everyone.

"Felix, Demetri … and Artemis."

The guard made a remarkable effort to remain unmoved by the news, but Artemis knew most of them considered him more like a threat than a protection for Aro. Quickly, Felix ushered him to Aro's side. Artemis kept his eyes from darting worriedly back at Holly, even further away from him now. This was not good. If something happened, he would never make it to her on time …

Edward's wife called three of her camp with her–the big vampire Emmett, someone named Garrett, and to everyone's horror, one of the wolves, apparently Jacob. Artemis fought a shiver of disgust as he smelled the approaching creature's stench. Truly, couldn't these things consider washing from time to time?

"Interesting company you keep," Demetri murmured. _Indeed_, Artemis couldn't help but agree. Edward's eyes flashed towards him, and the wolf growled angrily. Then Edward let go of Aro, and Artemis' mind went in overdrive.

Now or never.

The People were coming, and probably very fast. Retrieval couldn't be far behind Holly, they would be here any minute now. Artemis had a hunch on how they would operate, and the device they would use would leave the vampires incapable of escaping. It was only a matter of time now.

Outside of his mind, other mind games were taking place, as Aro started interacting with the small creature in Bella Cullen's arms. The baby girl seemed perfectly controlled, for some supposedly unmanageable immortal child–even by human children's standards, she was remarkably mature. Caius' infuriated hiss broke their thoughts, and Aro was forced to give the explanation he had withheld.

"Half mortal, half immortal. Conceived so, and carried by this newborn while she was still human."

"Impossible!" was Caius' only answer.

It wasn't, however. Artemis' eyes widened as he took in the miracle that was the small Renesmee. She had clear vampire traits, but some other were definitely human. If he examined her closely, he noticed how he could spot resemblances with both of her parents. Here eyes were brown, here cheeks were flushed, and most extraordinary of all, Artemis could make out her heartbeat.

It was mortifying he hadn't spotted that earlier, really. Between the wolf pack's heavy breathing and thumping hearts, Renesmee Cullen's fast little heartbeat had gone completely unnoticed.

Then, the conversation with Edward Cullen's family was over, and Aro waved at his brothers, urging them to come and join him. The Cullens retreated quickly as Caius and Marcus advanced.

Of course, Caius started ranting, while Marcus stayed passively by his brothers. They were arguing over technicalities: wether or not the child was really half-human, wether the wolves were werewolves or not. It all came down to one thing, really: wether or not the Volturi would find a valid reason to attack the Cullens. The Volturi had witnesses watching, and by their own will.

Artemis was barely relieved when Caius' accusations died down. It didn't last long.

"I want to talk to the informant," he announced suddenly, looking at Irina.

Artemis looked back at his friend, the one vampire that had helped him in his path towards being a better person. She was looking at her sisters in anguish. Caius' abrupt bark caught her attention, and her expression instantly turned to frightened. Slowly, she moved to join the group in front, and Caius started interrogating her.

He saw it coming before her, before everyone else.

"No!" he screamed, the fraction of a second before three of the Volturi guards leaped upon her, tore her to pieces and burned her with Caius' lighter.

It took more than everything Artemis had for him to stay in place. The urge to rip Irina's attackers was stronger even than the bloodlust that had forced him to kill Gianna the human. He couldn't help his enraged snarl, while Felix caught his shoulder again in a vice-like grip. His mind was completely irrational, he didn't know how he could ever control himself …

"Artemis!"

That was all it took. He shouldn't have been surprised, really. His eyes darted to Holly Short's horrified expression.

The Volturi brothers, however, didn't seem overtly distressed by his rebellion. They were carefully observing the other side of the field, where the Delani sisters were fighting their friends to attack the Volturi. The guard was crouching, ready to attack as soon as one of the Cullen's group stepped out of line.

The attack didn't come. Caius' trick to enrage Irina's sister into attacking the guard, and provide the Volturi with a valid excuse to fight didn't work, to his great fury. Artemis, his focus back now, discreetly looked down at his wristwatch. Any minute now …

Aro's feeble excuse for Irina's murder–that she had to answer to her false testimony, as the child had evidently not been immortal–would have made Artemis' blood boil if he still had some flowing in his veins. Aro then started interrogating the Cullen's witnesses, once more seeking for a way to start battle.

"And do you believe that she should be allowed to live?" he finally asked an egyptian vampire named Amun.

The Cullen's ranks broke into furious hisses, as well as some of the witnesses behind the Volturi. Artemis barely restrained himself. He already was in a delicate position; it wasn't wise to compromise it much more by openly expressing what he thought of Aro's suggestion.

Artemis had to admit he admired Aro's devious mind. Caius' plans had been quite crude, to say the very least. Aro, on the other hand, had been calculating everything, planning this insidious way of condemning the Cullen family.

Was Renesmee safe to keep alive?

It was obvious that yes, but Aro kept insisting, as if he himself hadn't created dangerous creatures in his time.

"Only the known is safe. Only the known is tolerable. The unknown is … a vulnerability."

The hiss escaped Artemis' lips before he could stop himself. Aro may have been condemning Renesmee there, but he was also attacking Holly in those few sentences. What were the People, other than an unknown quantity, to the vampires? It was obvious that sooner or later, no matter what Artemis might have done, someone would point out to the Volturi that the fairy captain's existence–and that of her species–was a vulnerability. Aro had just made it impossible for anyone to deny that claim later on.

If Holly was condemned … He didn't want to think about it, but he had. If Holly was condemned, then it wouldn't matter if Artemis went against the Volturi. She probably wouldn't criticize him for it, even if it meant putting her in danger.

Artemis glanced at his watch again, as the vampire Garrett came forth to deliver what would have been a rather touching speech about freedom and the lies of the Volturi if Artemis had been in the mood to appreciate it. He wasn't, however. Why wasn't Retrieval here? Surely, they wouldn't let two people aware of their secrets in the hands of bloodthirsty vampires? Well, Ark Sool would have done it, but that was another matter altogether.

Following Garrett's speech, a few of the Volturi witnesses left. Aro finally faced his guard to address them:

"We are outnumbered, dearest ones. We can expect no outside help. Should we leave this question undecided to save ourselves?"

Artemis felt Chelsea's pull, stronger than he had ever experienced it. With all his might, he resisted the urge to answer as a puppet like the rest of the guard. Looking back at Holly, still firmly held by Sulpicia, he felt Chelsea's influence slightly fading.

"Is the protection of our world worth perhaps the loss of some of our numbers?"

"Yes," breathed the guard, and Felix nudged Artemis forcefully. "We are not afraid."

_Sheep_, Artemis thought disdainfully.

The Volturi brothers huddled together to counsel. Again, Artemis looked at his watch. What were they doing? From where he was, he could hear Holly's rapidly beating heart. He knew he couldn't fight the Volturi alone. The People could do it, with the help of his knowledge. If Foaly had got and understood his message …

Artemis saw Chelsea concentrating on the group of vampires on the other side of the field, trying to break their bonds. She frowned in frustration. The Cullen's group looked as tightly knit as ever. What was happening?

Then Jane started attacking. Edward Cullen leaped in front of his adoptive father to shield him, but none seem to react to the diminutive vampire's power. And then, the Cullen's newborn, Bella, grinned the smuggest smile he had ever witnessed, apart from what he imagined his own to be.

"She's shielding them all!" he whispered in wonder, as Jane snarled in fury, startling even the guard. Two vampires on the Cullen's side chuckled gleefully.

But Alec was already taking his sister's place. Would Bella Cullen resist to that attack?

The answer wasn't very long to come. Though before Artemis had his answered, he witnessed another prodigy from the amazing group: a huge fissure opened in the middle of the field, upsetting the Volturi brother's council. As impressive as it was, the earthquake didn't stop Alec.

Bella Cullen's shield did. Artemis may had never seen Alec's powers demonstrated on somebody other than himself, but the Cullen's group certainly didn't seem like they had lost their senses.

"Well done, Bella!" one of them cheered, and Bella, whose face had been apprehensive before, started smiling again.

Aro intervened again:

"Before we vote, let me remind you: whatever the council's decision, there need be no violence here."

Edward snarled, and Artemis resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Yes, it was certain the Cullens would watch their child being slaughtered without batting an eyelash. Who was Aro trying to fool?

"Let us vote, then," he concluded.

Artemis already knew who would choose what: Caius would want an attack, Marcus would want the easiest solution–in this case, abandoning–and Aro would want to find a way out of an obviously dangerous situation. It was quite apparent that Benjamin and especially Bella's powers had shaken the Volturi. They weren't quite so sure of winning now.

"Yes!" Edward Cullen hissed suddenly, an expression of triumph on his face. Next to Artemis, Felix and Demetri tensed.

"Aro?" Edward called, his tone even shaking Artemis' confidence. Why was he so sure of himself? Did that mean everything would be over soon? The People weren't here yet! Artemis couldn't hear them yet, and checked his watch another time. Aro was too preoccupied to notice the movements of his newborn.

"Yes, Edward? You have something further …?"

"Perhaps," Edward answered pleasantly. "First, if I could clarify one point?"

"Certainly," Aro answered, and Artemis could see his interested under the mask. If this was a way out, he was certain Aro would go right with it.

"The danger you foresee from my daughter," Edward continued, "this stems entirely from our inability to guess how she will develop? That is the crux of the matter?"

"Yes, friend Edward," Aro agreed. "If we could but be positive … be _sure_ that, as she grows, she will be able to stay concealed from the human world–not endanger the safety of our obscurity …"

"So, if we could only know for sure, exactly what she will become … then there would be no need for a council at all?"

"If there was some way to be _absolutely_ sure," Aro agreed, his voice shrill. Artemis smiled. He absolutely loved it to see Aro in a tight spot. It was clear the Volturi leader was uneasy–he was agreeing to something without knowing all the data about the situation. Edward could lead him where he wanted. Artemis just hope that it wouldn't be detrimental for him and Holly. What _was_ Retrieval doing?

The conversation was continuing, as Edward announced that his half-human, half-vampire child was not a unique case. Artemis almost groaned in frustration. How many other secret communities had he missed in his life?

It was then that Edward dealt his master card.

"Why don't you join us, Alice?" he called out, to the surprise and shock of both groups. Even Aro couldn't keep from repeating her name. That wasn't particularly reassuring, seeing as she was the one he coveted the most.

Artemis heard the diminutive vampire running through the forest before he saw her. She wasn't alone, however. Running with her was her husband, and two female vampires. Not far behind them came a male, with eyes that weren't red, and whose heart could clearly be heard by all.

The Cullens had won, and Aro had just found his way out.

Another sound could be heard in the forest around them, but most of the vampires were too preoccupied by the newly arrived. The Cullen's group rejoiced visibly, while the Volturi guards observed how they could walk past Bella's shield without any trouble.

Artemis didn't even need to look down on his watch anymore. His supernatural senses informed him that what he had been waiting for so desperately since the beginning of the meeting had finally arrived.

He couldn't not hear the ticking of his watch anymore.

The People were here.

**A.N.:** Please leave a word to tell me how you liked this! Have a nice week en.


	8. Chapter 8: Power

**Summary:** The Volturi hear about Artemis Fowl's prodigious intelligence and decide to turn him into a vampire and make him join the guard. Artemis must not only protect the People from the Volturi's greediness, but there's also the matter of punitive expedition concerning the Cullens. Post TTP and during Breaking Dawn. A/H, canon Twilight couples.

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A.N.:** So, this is the last chapter of the story. Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed and read this story. I hope you'll be glad with the ending.

**Warning:** Several character deaths in this chapter.

_Another sound could be heard in the forest around them, but most of the vampires were too preoccupied by the newly arrived. The Cullen's group rejoiced visibly, while the Volturi guards observed how they could walk past Bella's shield without any trouble._

_Artemis didn't even need to look down on his watch anymore. His supernatural senses informed him that what he had been waiting for so desperately since the beginning of the meeting had finally arrived._

_He couldn't not hear the ticking of his watch anymore._

_The People were here._

**Chapter 8: Power**

It was a good thing the Volturi were paying attention to the witness that was being given by an amazon vampire, telling the tale of her nephew's traumatic birth, and the subsequent life of another half human-half vampire creature. Artemis barely paying attention.

Even with the possibility of him dying so strong, he still felt the most elated he had ever been. Unbeknownst to them, the vampires were all trapped into a time stop.

The People had always considered time stops completely inescapable, that was until Artemis Fowl proved brilliantly the contrary. He had never told them his secret, though he suspected Foaly might have deduced it after reading his diaries extensively. One only had to change one's state of consciousness to escape the time stop, the easiest of which consisted in falling asleep.

How convenient was it that vampires _couldn't_ go to sleep? Even Aro, with Artemis' extensive knowledge of the People, would never find a way out of this.

Felix had let go of Artemis' arm when he had seen the newcomer's arrival. Now, Artemis inched away from him as discreetly as he could. If what he thought would be happening did happen, he quite preferred to be separated from all the enemy vampires.

He looked back at Holly, and was unsurprised to note she was tense with anticipation. She was a fairy, after all. It was only natural she would have felt the use of fairy magic around her. Sulpicia, on the other hand, was closely observing the scene unfolding with the Cullens, and did not appear to notice that anything was amiss.

The half-human had finished giving his testimony, and Aro was watching the Cullens thoughtfully. Artemis couldn't believe he hadn't already reached his decision. It was so obvious! How could it take him so long to figure it all out?

"Brother," he said softly to Caius. "There appears to be no danger. This is an unusual development, but I see no threat. These half-vampire children are much like us, it appears."

"Is that your vote?" Caius demanded.

"It is."

_Well, finally_. Now they only needed a little more time, time for the Volturi to regroup and the Cullens to gather, and the People could take action.

"Dear ones," Aro called. "We do not fight today."

The guard straightened out of their crouches, and Artemis did his best to look servile. It wouldn't do if Felix held him by the shoulder again …

The witnesses started departing into the woods. He didn't have that much time. At any moment, they would reach the edge of the time spell or encounter the Retrieval team, and commotion would ensue. The guard, as well as Marcus and Caius, started drifting back.

Aro was back to his friendly hypocritical self.

"I'm so glad this could be resolved without violence. My friend, Carlisle–how pleased I am to call you friend again! I hope there are no hard feelings. I know you understand the strict burden that our duty places on our shoulders."

Needless to say, Carlisle Cullen wasn't very impressed by his old friend's speech.

Aro starting retreating too.

"Now!" Artemis screamed in Gnommish.

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"Destroyed by fire, destroyed by fire. What does Fowl want us to do with that? Attack the vampires with blowtorches?"

Commander Trouble Kelp was having a hard time keeping his calm. The enemy now not only had Fowl, but also an LEP officer. Trouble would rather be back in Police Plaza, fighting off the B'wa Kell with no functioning ammunition left, than have to oversee this crisis.

"That might actually be a good idea," Foaly pointed out, while typing frantically on his keyboard. "Nope, we don't have any blowtorches, I'll see if we can get a replacement of some kind."

"The vampires are too fast for us, what good would it do?"

"Time stop and a blue rinse?" an officer suggested reluctantly.

"You want to send a bio bomb on the undead?" Kelp shot back. "We risk killing nobody apart from Holly."

"We have to think practically here. If we can't stop the vampires, we might have to sacrifice all those that will lead them to us."

"Fowl is one of the vampires, now, and he won't be killed by the bio bomb," Foaly pointed out, still keeping his eyes fixed on the monitor. "So, blue rinse is ruled out. On the other hand, even in daylight, I think a time stop would be useful."

"Fowl knows how to escape the time stop," Kelp said, sighing. "I think that one is out too."

"I disagree," Foaly said. "Didn't you read my report on the Fowl diaries I collected after we wiped him? He escaped the time field by putting himself to sleep, a feat I doubt he'll be able to repeat as easily in this state. The Recon officers have never seen the vampires sleep once. Besides, I doubt they're carrying sleeping pills with them. It's a chance we'll have to take."

"Right," Trouble acknowledged. "The time stop is still on. How long before we can start it?"

"Retrieval is right behind. I can engineer the technicalities from Haven here, once they set up the dishes."

"And Number One?"

"With Retrieval."

Commander Kelp sighed in relief. It wasn't much, really, but they could pretend they had some kind of control over the situation. Having the most powerful demon warlock helping them was a definite plus, too.

"Hold it for a second, Commander," Foaly said suddenly. "I think I have an idea."

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It was hell on earth, literally. Flames were sprouting from everywhere, encircling every vampire, or small clusters of them. Even Artemis wasn't spared, and found himself surrounded by a ring of fire.

Paralyzed in fear, he didn't dare to move. The fire was so close, he couldn't even bend his legs to spring and jump out of the circle around him.

_I'm going to die!_ he thought in panic, before taking a few steadying breaths–the smoke's acrid taste didn't choke him, but it was unpleasant nonetheless. Over the roar of the inferno, he could hear the terrified shrieks of the other vampires, doing nothing to calm his nerves.

_I'm going to die_, he thought more calmly, trying to analyze the situation. Well, after all he had lived, it wasn't really that surprising. He had narrowly escaped death several times. He understood the People's logic perfectly: they had to destroy all that menaced their secret, and he was–had always been–a danger to them.

Another, much more terrifying thought entered his mind.

Holly, still prisoner in Sulpicia's arms.

"Holly!" he screamed. "Holly!"

He couldn't hear her heartbeat anymore over the roar of the fire, and it's smoke made it impossible for him to smell her. What had happened to her? Did she escape? Was she burnt? Did Sulpicia kill her for revenge? Was she held hostage for leverage?

"Holly!" he yelled again.

"Coming, coming!" the unmistakable voice of Number One responded suddenly. An instant later, the flames had disappeared from around Artemis.

It took him less than half a second to assess the situation around him. Standing a meter away from him was Number One, seemingly concentrating intensely. Artemis deduced he was the one conjuring up the fires. It was only logical. Artemis had never seen anything in Foaly's files that hinted at such a weapon, but there was constantly something new to discover as far as the demon warlock's powers went. Other Retrieval officers were hovering around pyres rising from the snowy field, carefully monitoring any signs coming from the vampires trapped inside. Standing a few meters away from Number One was the sulking figure of Grub Kelp.

"Corporal Grub," Artemis asked hurriedly. "Where is Captain Short?"

Grub wasn't very cooperative. He waved vaguely at a group of pyres.

"She's in one of those, I think. I don't have time for this, Fowl. I have to protect Number One from attacks."

Artemis dashed to the spot where the wives had been last.

"Holly! _Holly_!"

He tried to pick up her scent, but all he could smell was the acrid smoke from the fires. He couldn't even make out the scents of the other vampires, which were so much more potent to him than Holly's–or any fairy's– smell.

"Holly!" he cried again.

"Artemis?" The faint sound of Holly's voice, coughing through the smoke, interrupted Artemis' search.

That was enough for him to locate the pyre that held her and Sulpicia. He ran up to it and addressed Sulpicia, hoping she would be terrified into

complying.

"Sulpicia, if you hurt Captain Short in any way, you'll be burnt down to ashes in an instant." He tried to keep his voice as self-assured and as commanding as he could. "Now, let Holly climb up to your shoulders. Tell me if you agree, now."

"I agree," Sulpicia answered, her voice shrill with fear.

"Holly, can you climb up Sulpicia's shoulders?" he asked.

"I-I think."

He waited a few instants, before he saw Holly's torso and face appearing over the fire. She was panicked.

"Perfect," he said in his most reassuring voice. For once, he wasn't the terrified one, and Holly was the one who needed to be helped. He knew that if he was assured enough, she would go back to being her normal bold soldier self. "Now, I want you to jump over the fire."

Her expression turned from panicked to absolutely horrified in an instant; she stood on Sulpicia's shoulders, paralyzed with fear.

"Don't worry," Artemis continued. "I'll catch you. This is a small jump, you've done much worse a lot. Brace yourself, captain."

Holly frowned with determination. At the height she was currently standing, the flames gave her a wider berth for jumping. In an instant, she had sprung over the fire.

Her landing wasn't graceful. If Artemis hadn't been there to catch her, she would have crashed on the snow. Carefully, he cradled her in his arms, worrying when she didn't move out of his grasp immediately.

"Holly, Holly, speak to me. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine Artemis," she said, albeit a little shakily. "You can put me down."

Gently, he helped her back to her feet. She was still a little bit unstable, so she grabbed his arm.

"Well," she said after a few moments, "that was unusual." Her voice still trembled.

"It ain't finished, folks," interrupted suddenly Grub Kelp, who had abandoned his charge–not that anybody believed Number One was in any sort of danger.

"Corporal Grub," Holly said as briskly as she could, "glad to see you again."

Grub almost started complaining about his situation, but Holly interrupted him before he could start:

"I would like to speak to Foaly and Commander Kelp. Do you have a communicator?"

The youngest Kelp was visibly upset to be ignored in such a way, but handed over a fairy communicator readily. After all, no matter how crazy people considered her, Holly was still his superior.

"Foaly?" she asked the instant the communicator was in her hands.

"Holly, thank heavens you're fine!" the relieved voice of the centaur came out from the speaker. "And Fowl," he added as an afterthought. "It's nice to have you back with us."

"The pleasure is mine," Artemis answered shortly. There were more pressing matters to attend to. "What is the plan for the vampires?"

There was a pause on the other line.

"We have a problem, Fowl," the voice of Commander Kelp said stonily. "Both Number One and the regular LEP tried to wipe some of the vampires that left the clearing before you, but the wipes don't take. It's as if their brains were made of stone."

Holly gasped in horror, and her grip on Artemis' arm–not that it could ever hurt him–tightened. Artemis felt horrified, but for an entirely different reason, and now that he had the upper hand, he wouldn't do anything as _weak_ as gasp. Holly saw the danger of having an army of vampires aware of the People's existence, Artemis saw how terrible the solution to the problem would be.

"I understand," Artemis said slowly, looking around at the pyres all around him. The communicator was silent for a moment, then Trouble spoke again:

"You said vampires were destroyed by fire?"

Holly gasped again, looking physically sick.

"No, no!" she moaned. "Trouble, we can't do this! It's … it's …"

"Necessary," Artemis said curtly. Hisses, both furious and terrified, erupted from the pyres, but the vampires were trapped. "Commander Kelp, I understand your position. I agree that it is not safe for the vampires that kidnapped me to roam this earth with the knowledge of the People's existence. They will stop at nothing to take control of you, make you their slaves. However, the coven they were confronting is another matter. Those vampires are famous for their refusal to drink from humans, and I believe you could reach an agreement with them."

"I don't really like this …" Kelp answered.

"Would you prefer to kill innocents? You will already be killing people who, on their own, would never have done anything to you." Artemis shot back frostily. Holly heard an nearly imperceptible crack in his voice. "I must speak with one of the other vampires. His name is Edward Cullen, and he will be able to tell which ones it is safe to spare."

"Do you trust him?" Foaly asked skeptically.

"I know enough about him," Artemis answered simply. If he couldn't trust Edward Cullen, he couldn't trust anyone, and every single vampire in the clearing would be murdered. "He's the one with the bronze coloured hair, who was standing in the center of the opposing coven. If you'll let me, I could localize him with more precision."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Trouble Kelp said.

"I have never been so certain of what my course should be." Artemis knew he wasn't exactly disinterested. Trapped inside the pyres were the only people who could help him controlling his bloodlust.

Holly smiled weakly next to him.

"I'll get Number One," she said, and left Artemis.

It only took a minute for him to find Edward Cullen's pyre. It was larger than the others, and he correctly deduced his wife and child were in it. Number One followed behind, holding his head in his hands.

"I won't last much longer," the demon warlock pointed out. "This is hard."

The instant later, Edward, Bella, Renesmee Cullen and her strange wolfish protecter were freed from the flames. At the sight of the shape-shifter, Artemis couldn't help but hiss. The wolf snarled back.

"Jacob, hold back," Edward advised, his eyes taking in the sight of Artemis and his fairy companions–Holly close by his side, Number One and Grub Kelp.

"I suppose you know what is happening?" Artemis asked quietly. Edward only nodded, while Bella, who had been hugging her daughter convulsively, stared at him with questioning eyes. The Cullens hadn't been as close as the Volturi when Trouble Kelp had talked about killing the vampires.

"You should ask Carlisle," Edward started pleadingly, but Artemis interrupted him immediately.

"You know as well as I that your father would spare all of them it, and that is not possible. We need you to tell us honestly those it is safe to spare. I can vouch for the golden eyes in your group, but I can't do much more."

Edward's face was a mask of resignation and sadness, while Bella's eyes widened in panic. Little Renesmee clung harder to her mother, feeling the tension all around her.

"The Volturi must all go. Even Sulpicia," he added, hearing Artemis' thought. "She would rather die than live without her mate. It's the least we can do for her, and she could be a danger for your friends if she was left alive."

Artemis fought to keep his face impassible, but neither Edward or Holly standing next to him were fooled.

"Artemis," Number One said in a surprisingly soothing voice, "I can't hold on much longer. Are the Volturi the group you came with?"

"Yes," he answered, "they're the ones that came down the plane with me." He looked down at the ground, unable to meet anyone's gaze, but most of all terrified of seeing the Volturi's demise–on his orders.

Holly grabbed his hand the same moment desperate shrieks erupted from the Volturi's pyres. Artemis couldn't help looking towards them and gasped in horror.

To prevent the vampire's escape, the small pyres had all merged into one

monstrous fire.

"Renesmee," Bella exclaimed, "don't look!"

Artemis wished he could do the same. After one short minute however, it was over, and all that was left was a huge circle of charred grass in the middle of the snow. Next to him, Holly was feeling sick, and Artemis wasn't faring much better.

"Who else?" he whispered, appalled.

"No!" Bella pleaded, "no, no more!" Renesmee was crying in her arms. The wolf next to them looked up at the little girl sadly and whimpered reassuringly.

"We have to do it," Artemis insisted. If he had been human, his voice would have been hoarse. "Which ones?"

He didn't have to look to know Edward Cullen's face was twisted with guilt. Good. He didn't like being the only feeling guilty. He wasn't sure it made him feel any better, though.

"The Volturi's witnesses won't keep quiet. Neither will the Romanian vampires with us." He pointed two small pyres. The instant later, desperate shrieks were heard. Artemis could still clearly make out the child Renesmee's desperate sobs.

"Shh, Renesmee," Bella cooed, though her voice was shaking, "they won't hurt us. We're safe."

"A-any other?" Artemis choked out. Beside him, Holly was crying silent tears.

"No," Edward answered. He turned towards Holly's diminutive form. "What do we do now?"

It was Trouble Kelp's voice that answered through the communicator.

"We would like you to ask the survivors not attack when we release them, to promise never to reveal the secret of our existence to anyone, never try to contact us ever again, or harm us in any way."

It was done in an instant. Edward didn't need to hear their answer.

"They agree," he said simply, and Artemis nodded. Instantly, the flames disappeared. Out of them appeared the shock-shelled faces of the resting vampires and frightened looking wolves.

"Number One," Artemis asked, while the Cullen's group huddled together in comfort. "Are you alright?"

The demon smiled sadly. It was a strange sight to see him so grave.

"Oh, much better since I've stopped the fires. Now, all I need to do is make the evidence disappear."

Instantly, snow started to reform over the charred circles of grass, and all other indicators that fire had spread in the meadow quickly disappeared.

"He'll always astound me," Holly pointed out. When Artemis didn't answer, she looked up at him strangely. "Artemis?"

"Yes?"

"Are you feeling all right?"

He smiled weakly.

"As well as can be expected."

"Sorry to interrupt you two," came Foaly's voice from the communicator, but we have to pack everything as fast as we can. Commander Kelp isn't too keen on keeping the time stop in broad daylight."

"Of course, Foaly," Holly answered. She turned back to Artemis. "I'll be back to say goodbye."

Artemis Fowl was left alone for the first time since the beginning of his journey to Forks. He watched as the fairies cleared up their mess, and as the Cullens and their friends continued talking. Slowly, their spirits were lifting, as they realized how far away the danger was now. Artemis could hear Edward Cullen's one sided conversation with the wolf that stayed close to his wife and daughter. _Repulsive creature_, he couldn't help but thinking, but the thought barely stayed in his head as the situation sank in. He had killed them all, even those who had shown him kindness. Sulpicia, Demetri. The witnesses that had nothing to do with this mess. All gone, because he had said so.

A moment later, he heard the tiny sound of Edward Cullen's footfalls on the snow. He didn't turn to look at the him.

"The wolves would like to thank your friends for getting them rid of the vampires," he announced abruptly, and Artemis winced.

"They are the only ones to rejoice," he answered quietly.

"My father would also like to speak with you." Artemis bowed his head slowly, still looking at the meadow. An instant later, Carlisle Cullen was at his side.

"Artemis," he said compassionately, "I understand this whole ordeal has been very hard on you. Edward tells me you are only a few weeks old."

"I am," he answered, trying to keep his voice expressionless. It was hard to think back at his change. If he hadn't been changed, no one would have died. If the Volturi hadn't gone to punish the Cullens, he would be in Volterra, trying to deal with his new state.

"I don't know what it is you would like to do, at the moment," the older vampire continued, "but I want you to know that you are very welcome to stay with us, as long as you wish."

It took a long for Artemis to answer.

"Thank you."

_I don't deserve it_.

"You do," Edward Cullen said simply, and Artemis didn't argue. It was pointless anyway. He felt numb with the enormity of what he had done.

"You can follow our trail whenever you feel like it," Carlisle said gently. "We'll be heading home."

Artemis nodded silently. A few seconds later, he spotted Holly walking back towards him.

She knew he could hear her from far away, but she still waited until she right in front of him to talk.

"Let's take a walk."

They didn't go through the field. Instead, they walked by it's edge, away from the Cullens, and then, into the forest. When they could not see the meadow anymore, Holly stopped.

"Can they hear us now?" she asked quietly.

"I can hear them, but I can't make out the conversations. Edward Cullen will hear what I think, though."

Holly didn't say anything, though it was clear the answer threw her off.

"Some vampires have special talents."

"Do you?"

Artemis sighed.

"I don't know quite yet. I believe I may be a little bit smarter than before, but that didn't help much did it?"

"Artemis …"

"You were right, Holly, you were right," he interrupted in an agitated tone. "Did you see what I did? You told me that, given some time, I would become like this!"

"Artemis, what are you talking about?"

"I'm a cold blooded murderer! I don't care if they were awful, power-hungry people who feasted on humans, I'm the reason they're dead! I _ordered_ their murder! I know I hardly had any morals, I _know_ I would never be as good as you, but I still had _some_ decency, and look what I've-"

"Artemis!" Holly yelled, and he stopped. She tugged at his sleeved, and he obligingly fell to his knees. Looking back up at her, he wished he could still cry.

"We are all devastated by what happened, Artemis. Don't think Number One will ever be able to sleep well again, and he was the sweetest, most innocent fairy I have ever seen. But it was necessary, Artemis, and you know it. You said so yourself. You have to remember that you also saved the people that could be spared. If you hadn't been there, we would have killed them all."

Artemis hung his head in defeat.

"You are not a bad person, Artemis," Holly said resolutely. "Don't ever think it. Do you think I would have followed you like I did, disobeyed direct orders from Trouble if you were?"

"I don't have an answer to that question," he answered for the first time in his life, or existence, or whatever it was, looking back up into her eyes. He was surprised by the emotions that he saw in the elfin captain's face. Instead of talking, however, she just moved closer to him, and took a deep breath.

She wasn't in a teenage body anymore, she wasn't happy or flushed with magic and she was definitely coming back on her word when she kissed him for the second time.

It lasted no more than a second but they both knew it had changed everything. They stayed silent for the longest time.

"Holly," Artemis said after a while, "I would have thought that vampires would be more repulsive to you than Mud Men."

Holly laughed softly.

"You _are_ awfully cold, you know."

They went back into silence, not daring to look at each other.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked.

"I don't know. I will probably go live with the Cullens for a little while, to learn more about my … condition." He winced. "You see, though it doesn't seem to be the same with fairies, it's very hard for us to stay around humans without … attacking them. Especially for newborns, like me. I still need to learn more about controlling myself. The Cullens will help me with that."

Holly nodded, but didn't dare ask him what bothered her the most. She had made the first move, and he was smart enough to take a hint. Or even to understand without any hint. He didn't disappoint.

"I am always uncomfortable when talking about feelings," he started, not looking at her.

"I know. You even wanted to research friendship in a book." She couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"The vampire who read my mind knew I was in love with you," he blurted out, "before I realized it, much less admitted it. I don't think it ever happened to me before, you see. As I told you, I'm quite worthless with feelings.

"You have to know something before you go back to Haven, Holly. I don't know how you feel, and I know this situation is rather unique to say the least, and I understand perfectly that you wouldn't want to take things any further, you being eighty and me stuck at fifteen, but-"

"I think I may be dreaming," Holly interrupted. "Artemis Fowl is babbling." Said Artemis glared at her.

"This is harder than it looks, Holly," he snapped. "What I am trying to tell you, is that vampire feelings don't change. Things like these are set in stone."

"Oh," was all Holly was able to say.

"What I mean to say, is that you can always come back, if you want to."

"Well, there _is_ that age difference, as you put it so well," she said, though her tone was clearly joking.

"On the other hand, you're about as tall as a child, and I will never reach adulthood. It can't be that bad, then, can it?"

"I'm warning you, Fowl, don't you ever joke about my height."

They both laughed, and this time, it was Artemis that kissed Holly. He broke apart with a rather predatory smile on his face. Holly groaned.

"Your smile was vampirish enough when you were human, Artemis, and it's gotten _much_ worse."

"I have just realized that my elf-kissing days were far from over."

Holly had the decency to blush. They were interrupted by Foaly talking through the communicator.

"Holly, we've given you enough time. Everybody is ready to go. Trouble charged me to tell you that you have one minute and a half to get to the rendez-vous point."

"Never a moment's peace, is there?" Artemis commented sadly. Holly was already ready to leave. She handed him the communicator.

"We'll be in touch, make no mistake about that."

Artemis smirked as he got up.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"With all this time in your hands," Holly said as she activated her wings to hover at the same level as him, "won't you get bored?"

"Bored?" Artemis said, pretending to be offended. "My intellect is more prodigious than ever and I am as strong as ten Butlers. I believe my times as a criminal mastermind have only begun."

Holly winced, then kissed him lightly.

"Some things will never change."

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Artemis took his time to walk back to the field where the confrontation had taken place, and was even slower to follow the Cullen's scent back to their house. He wasn't surprised when he saw Edward waiting for him.

"They're all waiting for you."

Artemis snorted. Alice Cullen must have blabbed.

"I don't think I warrant such attention."

"You helped destroy our greatest menace. A lot of people think it deserves at least a little bit of congratulations."

"I don't want congratulations. Please tell them that I don't want any." Edward nodded, and Artemis tried to go back to his smart and cold self. "Of course, I am sure in a few weeks, I will do a thing or two that can never be praised enough, but until then it is useless to compliment me."

Edward snorted, and started walking towards the Cullens house. Artemis could hear the people inside talking. Most of the Cullen's friends hadn't left.

"So," Edward started after a few steps, "fairies?"

Artemis smirked.

"I bet you didn't see that one coming."

THE END

**A.N.: So here it is, I hope you weren't disappointed. I got a little anxious when I saw reviews that were anticipating Artemis' interaction with the Cullens, when I had planned and written none. While editing, I tried to see if maybe I could fit some more, but then I realized how happy I was with this ending, so I didn't change it. Please leave a comment to tell me what you thought about it!**


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